The Dragonborn's Blight
by TestyRATCHET13
Summary: Stava Ice-Breaker, the Dragonborn and hero of Skyrim, has defeated Alduin. But now she is being sent to a new plane of existence, one lost to time and forgotten by the gods. It is her duty to save it from the evil of a Blight.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: **WELL HELLO THERE! THIS IS A NEW STORY, JUST SOMETHING TO HAVE FUN WITH, AND I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN WITH IT TOO! LEAVE A REVEIW TO LET ME KNOW IF I DID GOOD OR BAD!**

 ****TDB**TDB**TDB**TDB****

The Dragonborn's Blight Ch.1

"To Keep Evil Forever At Bay"

The world shook as Stava Ice-Breaker and the Tongues battled Alduin before Shor's great hall. The many hero's of Sovngarde stood across the whale bone bridge and watched and sung the Song of the Dragonborn as the greatest battle of all time raged in front of them. Even the mighty Tsun watched with great anticipation to see who the victor would be; the doom driven Dragonborn or the all devouring Alduin.

"Zu'u Alduin! Zu'u unslaad! You cannot defeat me Dovahkiin! I will devour your world and swallow your soul!" Alduin roared before sending a giant jet of flame towards Stava.

But her battle heightened reflexes kicked in, and she dove behind nearby boulder. Stava covered her face with her Dragonbone shield as the flames burst past her and all around the boulder. Her sharp and angular features scrunched tightly from the heat. It was only a few moments until she was beginning to really feel the heat burning her; when she peeked over her shield and through the flames to see Gormlaith charge Alduin.

"FUS ROH DAH!" She shouted. The powerful shout slammed into Alduins side and stunned him slightly. But slightly was enough for the gout of flames to cease and allow Stava to escape from the boulder; and charge Alduin with her sword raised high and her shield up. She brought her Dragonbone sword down hard on Alduin face. But only the smallest of cuts appeared where her blade slashed.

' _This is going to be harder than expected_.' She thought to herself.

Stava pushed the thought away as she jumped away from Alduin snapping his jaws at her. But Gormlaith finally reached them and slashed her sword across his neck, distracting him from Stava. Alduin seemed to struggle as Hakon joined the fight as well and Felldir was constantly shouting at him.

"It's four against one Alduin! Your tyranny ends here!" She yelled, making the ground shake.

Alduin roared again and began flapping his great wings, knocking them all down with gale force strong wind. As they all hit the ground he took flight and roared out.

"Ofcourse you cannot fight me yourself, Joor! Sahlo alun praag tokaan wah mul! I am Alduin! Firstborn of Akatosh! I will break you!" Alduin roared and swooped down at Stava.

But Stava stood her ground, she had been hoping he would come at her head on. It gave her a clear line of sight to shout him out of the sky.

"JOOR ZAH FRUL!" She shouted. A great blue wave exploded from her lips and sped through the air, slamming into Alduin and surrounding him in a blue aura. His wings faltered and he plummeted from the sky and landed hard on the ground; sending a cloud of dirt and dust all around him.

Stava took her chance and ran to where he landed, she could hear the tongues running behind her. She ran as hard and fast as her legs would allow, her heart raced as adrenaline pumped through her. Stava was half way to him when he brought his head up shaking it somewhat from the rough landing and shouted.

"FUS ROH DAH!" His voice roared. Stava's eyes went wide as she watched the shout race towards her. Instead of panicking though, she waited until the last second and drove her sword into the ground and held on tight with all her strength. The shout reached and rushed past, jarring her but not throwing her like it did the tongues behind her. She didn't spare them a glance though as she stood and continued running to Alduin.

' _They're already dead_ ,' She thought. ' _Not like they can die again_.'

She watched Alduin shake his head again before standing and meeting the icy gaze of Stava. Flaming red stared hatingly into Icy blue. He reared his head back and shouted once more with all the evil strength he had.

"YOL TOOR SHUUUUUL!" He drug out the final word as many dragons do and unleashed a torrent of flames.

Stava quickly brought up her shield to block most of the flames. She stood tall against it, the flames pushing her back slightly. But she reached deep within her and summoned every once of her strength and released pure Nordic fury. With a great roar she pushed forward, each step feeling like a mile. The Song of the Dragonborn reached her ears and fueled on her fighting spirit.

"MUL QAH DIV!" She let loose one last mighty roar as she was surrounded in the golden whisps of the dragon aspect. Nordic Fury combined with Draconic Rage, giving her the strength to take the last few steps; and as soon as Alduin's flames died she shoved her sword through the roof of his mouth. Immediately she felt herself flying through the air for several moments before hitting the ground; she looked up to see Alduin standing up on his hind legs and throwing his head around.

"Zu'u unslaad! Zu'u nis oblaan!" He screamed to the sky. His body lighting up as his scales exploded from his body, leaving him bare and pale. Stava stood and watched as his skin turned black and he started to turn to ash and dust.

"I will have vengeance Dovahkiin!" He roared before giving one final thrash as his body completely disintegrated and Stava's sword fell and stuck in the ground.

An eerie and ominous air set surrounded Stava as those last words set in. A chill ran down her spine as she contemplated the implications of Alduin's dying words. But pushed those thoughts aside when she realized something.

"His dying words." She said quietly.

She stood there for a moment, silent, trying absorb the situation. She had done it. She had killed Alduin, the World Eater; the dragon she had been hunting for 2 and half years. She was also confused though, why hadn't she absorbed his soul? She processed all this as she slowly walked toward her sword. When Stava pulled it from the ground, she found that the bone blade was now pitch black; just another thing to confuse her.

"Well it'll certainly be intimidating." She murmured to herself.

She sheathed her sword and drew a deep breath. Turning around she was greeted by the sight of Felldir, Gormlaith and Hakon standing before her with proud faces and wide smiles.

"You did it! You defeated Alduin!" Gormlaith exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air.

"You have succeeded where we failed, you are a true warrior." Hakon lamented with a bow of his head.

"Our ancient reprieve for Alduin has finally been repaid, and the long night has ended!" Felldir yelled.

Stava smiled at the joy the three held, flipping back her pitch black hair she let out a hearty laugh with the three ancient hero's. It finally sunk in, she had slain Alduin. After the many trials she had faced she had finally done it. Defeating Harkon and retrieving Auriels Bow. Traveling through Apocrypha and battling Miraak. Becoming Harbringer of the companions and journeying all across Skyrim. All of it led to her final confrontation against Alduin.

Her nostalgia ended though as Tsun stepped up to her. Even at her height of 5'11" Tsun towered over her. The hulking giant of man held a light smile on his face.

"That was a mighty deed! The doom of Alduin encompassed at last, and cleansed is Sovengarde of his evil snare. They will sing of this battle in Shor's hall forever and all of time. But your fate lies elsewhere friend. When you have completed your count of days, I may welcome you again with glad friendship. And bid you join the blessed feast." He said happily while clapping a giant hand on her shoulder.

"When that day comes I will be more than happy call Sovngarde my home. Will I have to defeat you again?" She said with a smile and the two laughed lightly.

"All hail the Dragonborn! All hail her glory!" All the hero's of Sovngarde yelled out.

Stava felt immense pride swell within her at the praise. She had never felt more alive than she did at that moment. All her trials and battles culminated to this very event, her destiny was complete and Tamriel was saved from Alduin's raging hunger.

'They'll sing of my glory in every tavern and hall from Solitude to Riften.' She thought with a smirk.

"Dragonborn." Tsun said, breaking her from her reverie a second time. "Whenever you are ready to rejoin the living, just bid me so and I shall send you back. But first take these words with you, a boon from Shor; so that no matter where you are, Glory will answer thine call." He said in his deep baritone.

Blue and gold and orange wisps surrounded Tsun and then traveled to Stava. She closed her eyes and focused on the knowledge and understanding of the words.

"Hun kaal zoor." She whispered, feeling the power of the words and taking in their meaning.

She opened her eyes and looked up to see Tsun furrowing his brow and looking off into the distance. Stava was confused for not even a minute ago the God smiling.

"Tsun?" She asked. "What is wrong? Why are you no longer merry as you were?" Mild concern filling her voice.

He suddenly snapped his back back to her, staring her down unblinking.

"I have been shown a vision, a tragedy is afoot. Another mortal plane stands on the precipice of doom. Dragonborn, you are mightiest of warriors and thus it is you who must go and save it, lest it be swallowed whole by a Blight." He said quickly and seriously.

Now it was Stava's turn to furrow her brow, only in her case, in confusion.

"Another mortal plane? A blight? Me go and save it?!" She yelled out loud, not even bothering to complain in her head.

Tsun nodded his head in affirmation. "Yes. There is no time to waste. Ready yourself Dragonborn, there will be new challenges even you will find daunting."

Stava at this point was waving her hands back and forth in front of her, trying to slow the situation down.

"Woah woah woah Tsun! What are you even talking about?!" She asked almost distraught, backing away slightly.

"Go now Dragonborn, and be the savior of these forgotten people's. NAHL DAAL VUS!"

...

Stava saw the world go dark around her and began to feel the most bizarre sensations. She felt like her whole body was being squeezed into a pipe no bigger than her fist. She couldn't breathe but it was like she didn't need to, like she didn't have lungs. Her whole body was being torn apart and put back together a hundred times over. Weightlessness took over her senses for what felt like centuries; before suddenly it all came to a halt and she felt herself land on something hard and soft. She slowly shook her and propped herself up on her elbows and looked around her. She was surrounded by tree's on all sides and it looked as though it was dawn.

She rested her head on her hand and groaned.

"Kolos ko taazokaan los Zu'u?"

**TDB**TDB**TDB**TDB**

The crisp cold of the morning air made Aeden Cousland shiver as his horse galloped through the wilderness. In front of him his father lead the way and to his right, his brother. He squinted his brown eyes as the low sun began peering through the trees and caught in them. He brought his hand down his face and felt dew in his goatee and mustache. He groaned heavily from his tiredness.

"Could someone remind me why we're up so early and riding around in the cold again?" He asked out, not really caring who answered.

"Because it has been months since we last had a morning ride through the lands. And because you have been quite lazy in the mornings as of late pup." Aeden's father Bryce said in his fatherly way from the front.

Aeden's brother Fergus laughed before joining in the conversation.

"Yes little brother you have been very lazy lately, one could even suspect you of being possessed by a demon of sloth." Fergus said chuckling.

"Oh hardy har har. I'll have you know dearest father and brother, that I am so "lazy" in the morning because I am up all night practicing my swordsmanship and honing my abilities; so that I may be the greatest swordsman of all.." He said pointedly.

They were silent for a moment before all three started laughing together. If Aeden were to be honest, he loved being out with his brother and father. There wasn't much time nowadays for family time, what with preparations for what could be a Blight. A Blight. Aeden never thought once in his life that one would happen. He wasn't very religious but he found himself praying each day that it wasn't a true Blight.

As all these thoughts went through his mind, he found himself focusing on something moving around in some nearby trees and bushes up ahead. He gently pulled on the reins of his horse to slow down to a trot. He looked closely to the trees, trying to see whatever it was. It came as a surprise to him when out of the woods came a women. The single most beautiful women Aeden had ever seen; her face though it was scrunched in pain, was angular and sharp. Her skin was pale as snow and she had raven hair coming down to her shoulders with several braids framing her face.

And her eyes. They were ice blue and held a sort of power behind them. But then he looked down and his eyes widened at what she was wearing. The women wore armour like he had never seen before, there were spikes all over it and it seemed to be made from scales of some sort.

"Umm, hello? Who are you and why are you here in Highever?" Aeden said, hoping to get an answer of who this mysterious stranger was.

The woman looked up and walked forward shakily, almost as if she were drunk. Her face, while still in pain, seemed somewhat relieved for a moment.

"Ahnok? Vis aanwo hiif?" The woman said.

Aeden raised a confused eyebrow at that.

"I'm sorry I don't understand what your saying." He then turned his head and yelled out. "Father! Fergus! Come here!"

He watched them slow down and turn their heads, as soon as they saw the other person they immediately turned around came to him. Knowing that they were on their way, Aeden climbed down from his horse and slowly stepped toward the strange women.

"Can you understand me?" He asked carefully.

The women must have, for she nodded her head slowly.

"Druv los tinvaak dovahzul? Tsun! Zu'u vaat Zu'u fen luv hi oraan!" She said looking up the sky angrily.

"Umm." Aeden had no clue whatsoever as to what was going on. In all his studies he had never heard language like the one she was speaking. He continued to watch the women yell at the sky angrily when his father and Fergus reached them. They stood there with him for a moment, staring at the armor the woman wore and listening to her strange language.

"Zu'u kaat Zu'u fen dahmaan daar! Zu'u nunon viik Alduin ahrk hi fen ni orin vos zey vervisk hi avok naram, grud klus fuskah!" She continued to rant as she began pacing back and forth.

At this point Bryce cleared his voice and stepped up to the woman, catching her attention. Her eyes stared daggers into him, but to his credit he didn't flinch nor stand down.

"I do not know why you are upset, nor do I truly care at the moment. You are in Highever and I am the Teryn of this land. Who are you? And do you need help?" He asked with genuine care.

"Zu'u Dovakiin, fuskah!" She yelled angrily, stepping up in his face.

Aeden and Fergus both drew their swords at that. The woman smirked ever so slightly.

"Ris hin zahkrii hond! Zu'u los dovakiin! Dii zul fen gunaar hi!" She shouted, Aeden could have sworn that he felt some sort of tremor as they were said. They stared hard at each other, the tension thick in the air. The woman looked as though she was going to say something before putting her hand to her forehead, yelling out in pain and promptly falling forward into Bryce's arm's and passing out. They all shared a look again before Fergus began laughing hysterically.

"Oh brother you certainly do know how to pick a women. I'll be honest I prefer her to that women from Denerim, the one you were so head over heels for when you were 18. Remember her? The really short one that had a thing about dirt being anywhere near her?" He said laughing still.

Aeden just rolled his eyes and went to take the woman from his father, who was still holding her up. His father handed her off to him gently. Aeden almost dropped her, her armour much heavier than it looked.

"Well that was certainly interesting." Bryce said plainly.

"Maker, what is this armour made of?." He grunted.

Bryce then leaned forward and gave the armour a close inspection.

"Looks to be fashioned out of scales of some sort. Hmm, questions for later though. Come you two, let's get her back to the keep and put her under the care of the healers." He said moving to his horse.

"Yes, wouldn't want to leave Aeden's new romantic interest out in the woods now would we? Hahaha." He laughed heartedly.

Aeden groaned at the comment but mostly ignored it. He hefted the woman into the saddle of his horse and climbed on behind her. His father and Fergus mounted theirs as well; and as they rode off to the keep Aeden could not shake the feeling that the women he held in front of him was somehow incredibly important.

"Don't you think it's a bit early in your relationship to be holding each other like that?" Fergus yelled over to him.

"By the maker would you shut up?!" Aeden yelled back.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: **Well here is the second chapter, I hope you enjoy. Leave a review if you have anything to suggest, or to just say good job... Or bad job depending on how much you liked the story.**

The Dragonborn's Blight Ch.2

"Harken Now Sons Of Snow"

Aeden grunted as he shifted the strange woman from the woods in his arms. He was carrying her through the keep to one of the spare bedrooms for guests. His brother Fergus walked beside him, toting the woman's equally strange belongings. A shield that was made of huge bones and a sword that was also made of bone but was pitch black; and a leather pack of some sort that could not be opened. Curiosity burned inside Aeden as he thought of the mysterious woman.

When he reached the door he stepped to the side and signaled for Fergus to open it for him.

"Taking her to bed so soon brother? You really must learn to restrain yourself, take it slooow." He said opening the door and chuckling.

"I promise, I will break your jaw if you make one more joke." Aeden growled.

His brother merely laughed and went to place the woman's belongings on the table opposite the bed. Aeden stepped to the large bed, bending over he gingerly placed the woman on it. Standing up straight again he looked down and found himself entranced by her. Without the pain or look of anger distorting her features, she was even more beautiful. Her black hair framed her face perfectly. And even with her pale skin he could make out several scars on her face; the most apparent being one that came down the right side of her lips.

"Who are you?" He asked aloud, not expecting any answer.

"It is a fair question brother, one I anticipate being answered." Fergus said stepping beside him.

Aeden almost sighed a breath of relief at hearing a normal statement from his brother. He almost jumped though as the door to the room snapped open with a bang. The resident healer and nurse, Matilda, walked quickly to the bed and began shooing Aeden and Fergus out of her way.

"Move move move, I must attend to my patient." The fifty-something year old said in a motherly tone. Aeden watched as she grabbed the woman's head and turned it this way and that.

"Hmm, no sign of concussion or head injury. Your father said you all found her out in the woods. Tell me, did she exhibit any outward symptoms of anything?" She asked crisply without turning her head, expecting an immediate answer.

Aeden scratched the back of his head for a second, trying to remember any details of his encounter.

"Well, I remember that she had a bit of drunken gait, she also held her head some as well. I can't really remember anything else." He said.

Matilda hummed in acknowledgement before she moved her hands to the straps of the woman's chest piece and lifted it off. Aeden immediately turned around before he saw anything he shouldn't. Fergus did the same, and the two shared a look when they both heard armour clanging on the stone floor.

"Oh would you two grow up, she's wearing a tunic. I need you two to

get this armour out of my way." She demanded.

They shared one more look, and turned around. The woman did indeed wear a tunic underneath, and they set about doing as they were told; not wanting to risk the wrath of Matilda. Kneeling down to pick up the shoulder pieces he noticed something glinting near her neck. Looking more closely it was just poking out of her shirt, he reached for it and pulled it out and held the item in his hand. It was an amulet of some sort, it was bronze coloured and had a tinge of green to it; suggesting it's age. Aeden had never seen the symbol before, to him it looked like an upside down battle axe with intricate carvings. He turned it over in his hand, looking for a name or anything that could tell him about her.

"What's that you got there?" Fergus asked looking over his shoulder.

"Seems to be an amulet of some sort. But I've never seen anything like it, I was honestly hoping it would shine some light on whoever she is." He answered.

"Well whatever it is put it back." Matilda scolded. "It isn't yours to fiddle with." She said while taking off the woman's boots.

Aeden and his brother both rolled their eyes and he placed the amulet back down.

"As it stands I need to find Oriana and Oren, I leave for Ostagar before nightfall; so I plan on spending as much time with my wife and son as I can. Brother, Matilda." He said with a nod to each as he exited the room.

Aeden watched him go and felt a sense of melancholy fall upon himself. His father and brother were leaving to go fight Darkspawn. And he would be stuck in the keep, watching over the lands with his mother. Aeden dropped his head and sighed. In his heart he wanted nothing more than to go and fight with Fergus and his father, but he also knew that someone had to keep things managed.

"I believe I will leave as well, Matilda. I must find my father, Arl Howe has most likely arrived by now and I must be there to greet him. Do keep us informed about our strange guest." He said with a bow to the old woman.

Matilda glanced at him out of the corner of her eye while she continued to examine the woman and titled her head in acknowledgement. Aeden turned and left the woman to her work. He closed the door behind him and made his way to the main hall, hoping that the rest of his day would be ordinary without any extra suprises.

**TDB**TDB**TDB**TDB**

 _Stava slowly opened her eyes and found herself in the middle of a hall of some sort. The hall was strange in that nothing matched or even made sense being there. A row boat made of rocks, entire dining sets somehow stuck to the wall. There were paintings of abstract shapes and colours she didn't even know existed. There was an incredibly strange one with 5 various dogs sitting around a table, with mugs of mead and stacks of gold I front of them._

 _Stava looked away and to her left and saw a door. Or at least she thought it was a door, it was average sized but it seemed to be made of..._

 _"Cheese?" She said incredulously._

 _"Did somebody say CHEESE!?"_

 _Stava's eyes widened. She knew that voice, she would know it anywhere. And that terrified her. She slowly forced herself to turn around, and that's when she saw him._

 _"Sheogorath." She said quietly._

 _"Hello!" He hollered from his throne, waving his hand back and forth rapidly._

 _Stava's breath hitched in her throat as she fell to her knees. She felt her whole world crash down around her as she realized that she was in The Shimmering Isles, Sheogorath's throne room no less._

 _"No, no no no! Am I dead? I'm dead aren't I? And_ You _were the one to win my soul? Tsun you lied to me! You said I would go to Sovngarde!" She bellowed in despair._

 _"What are you goin on about lass? You aren't dead, though if you don't make some serious changes to your lifestyle you might be. Hahaha!" He laughed._

 _"Wait," she said. "I'm not dead?" She got off her knees and slowly approached the prince of madness._

 _"Well ofcourse you aren't dead, you ninny. If you were I wouldn't be offering you pea soup. Which by the way you better eat it before it eats you!" He yelled holding out a bowl towards her._

 _Waves of immense relief passed over Stava at hearing those words. But it was momentary as she soon realized that she was still in Shimmering Isles, with Sheogorath. She didn't hate Sheogorath, she was just very wary of a completely unpredictable God-like being of infinite power. Who had an obsession with cheese no less._

 _"How did I get here if I'm not dead? The last thing I remember is defeating Alduin and the next thing I know, Tsun..."_

 _"Sent you to a lost mortal plane of existence on a mission to save it from an evil that you don't even know and wasn't even informed of by aforementioned God of Trials?" He interjected._

 _"Well, yes." She said dumbfounded, trying to understand everything that had been happening. She had been sent to a new mortal plane, had woken up in a forest of some sort and met some locals. And then passed out._

 _"Oh gods, what has Tsun gotten me into?" She asked aloud, forgetting she wasn't alone._

 _"You mean besides another fight against an unstoppable evil that will destroy all of the mortal beings of this plane? Well, there was that time he got you to fight that big scary world ending dragon. Haha." He laughed._

 _Stava suppressed a groan, the last thing she needed was to upset the mad God._

 _"And currently he has also gotten you in the middle of a power play involving betrayal, scheming and murder with just a pinch of pillaging. Ah, how I love you mortals and your pathetic ambitions for power." He said with a happy sigh._

 _Stava furrowed her brow at that._

 _"Wait, what do you mean?" She asked, trying to figure out what he meant._

 _"What? You don't remember? Well those people you passed out on took you back to their castle to nurse you back to health. Which honestly is a bit of a surprise, I thought you would have been imprisoned; talk about ruining the dynamic." He huffed, crossing his arms._

 _"No no not that, I meant the betrayal and murder part." She said trying steer the conversation back in the right direction._

 _"Oh that? Well your asleep in a bed in said castle that is now being pillaged by traitors that are burning the whole place down; and killing everyone that isn't one of them." He replied somewhat jovial._

 _"Wait so I'm in a bed? Then is this real, or just happening in my head?" She asked confused._

 _"Well ofcourse it's all happening inside your head. That doesn't mean it can't be real. Honestly, you'd think that for someone who pranced about in a dead emperors head would be able to accept the situation." He spoke while shaking his head._

 _She suddenly heard screaming and a loud bang that sounded an awful lot like a door._

 _"Well I better let you go, wouldn't want you to miss out on all the fun! Oh, and should you find any exotic cheeses, YOU HAD BETTER SHARE THEM OR I'LL TEAR YOUR SKIN FROM YOUR FLESH AND USE IT AS A BLANKET! Ta-ta." He said politely with a wiggle of his fingers._

**TDB**TDB**TDB**TDB**

The hushed, frightened voice of a women was the first thing to reach her senses. The smell of smoke came next, along with screaming and yelling. Her eyes fluttered open and she scanned the room with blurry sight. In the far corner to her right she saw what she assumed to be someone huddled. Across the room she saw her weapon and armor stacked on a table. She groaned as she sat up on the bed, rubbing the blurryness from her eyes.

"Shor's bones, don't you people know how to be quiet when you die?" She asked morbidly to the cowering woman, and boy she observed; in the corner. She was relieved though, being able to speak normal again.

Suddenly there was a loud aggressive banging on the door, ruining her moment of relief.

"We know your in there! Open the door you Antivan whore, and maybe we'll spare your son of watching us have some fun with you!" He yelled cruelly.

Stava narrowed her eyes at that. She stepped out of bed and walked to the table where her sword was. As the door sounded like it was about to be forced open, she turned around and shushed the wimpering woman. Stava unsheathed her blackened Dragonbone sword, she closed her eyes and breathed slowly.

One bang. Two bangs. Three bangs. And the door was flung open, revealing three men in what looked like a standard leather armour. They all had their swords in hand and sinister looks in their eyes.

"Oh? Look what we have here mates, two whores in one room! What luck we must have eh?" The lead one jested.

Stava kept silent, deciding it would be easier for them to attack first and her counter; her lack of armour keeping her cautious.

"Why don't you drop the nasty looking blade and wait on the bed; while Me and my men deal with the Antivan slime." He snarled.

She stayed her ground, and held eye contact with the pathetic man. Her face clear of emotions, her breath was steady. Blood was soon to be spilt. The man scowled as she just stood there, he walked forward, his arm raised to strike her. When he swung though, his fist hit nothing but air. Stava slid forward on her knee, bringing her sword across his midsection. Before he even fell over she was already moving, running the next man through with her blade. Not wanting to lose her momentum, she pushed forward, pulling her sword from his corpse and easily parrying the panicked strike from the last man; and decapitating him with a quick slash.

All three bodies seemed to hit the ground at once as Stava closed the door and turned and walked to the woman in the corner. She flinched and held her son closer to her, sounds of fear escaping her.

"Be quiet woman, I am not going to harm either of you." She said, offering the woman her hand.

She looked at the hand for a moment before reaching for it with her own shaky hand. Stava pulled her up onto her feet and watching take several shaky breaths.

"Gracias, stranger. My name is Oriana, and I apologize for my current disposition. I am just so scared for my son." She said, holding him against her.

Stava nodded. "Who are these men?" She asked.

"They are the dogs of Howe, that honor-less traitor." She spat in disgust.

"I see." Stava said. "Now I know exactly who I need to kill."

She then turned to the table with her armour and began the process of putting each piece on. She felt better and more like herself with each piece she strapped on. Her heart fluttered with excitement at the thought of battle, her Nord blood craving the sensation. When she secured her gauntlets she picked up her shield and made her way out of the room. Stopping at the door she turned to the woman and her child.

"Stay here, you'll be safe. I'll make sure that no one can enter through this door." She said quickly.

Without waiting for an answer she walked out the door and closed it. Putting her hand on the wooden door she closed her eyes and channeled her magicka. She felt the essence of the wood, everything that it what it was. And she willed it to change, she poured magicka into the spell; forcing the wood to obey her commands. When Stava opened her eyes, she smiled, the wood had changed to stone and blended with the wall.

Knowing that the woman and her son would be safe, Stava walked away and through the halls of the castle. Questions of where she was and what was going on were buried under her battle lust. Turning a corner she spotted a group of at least six men; one of them pointed to her and alerted his comrades. Stava smiled like a mad woman.

' _I am in for one fun night_.' She thought jovially.

"FUS!" She shouted running into battle.


	3. Chapter 3

**WELL HERE IT IS EVERYBODY. THANKS FOR READING AND STICKING AROUND! HOPE I DID A GOOD ENOUGH JOB FOR YOU READERS TO ENJOY**!

**TDB**TDB**TDB**TDB**

The Dragmonborn's Blight Ch.3

"And The Fiercest Foes Rout When They Hear Triumphs Shout"

Stava let loose a battle cry as she charged another group of Howe's men. Stabbing and slashing with her sword, she felt the rage of battle course through her body. But it would be replaced shortly after with disappointment as the last man fell. The soldiers, in her opinion, were weak and easy to kill; nothing more than cannon fodder. She wiped off the blood from her sword on one of the many corpses at her feet, and continued on her way through the keep styled castle. No matter where she went she found herself constantly saving the lives of inhabitants of the castle. From cooks and maids to overwhelmed gaurds and even an old scholar hiding in a library. It enraged her to end seeing these "Soldiers" murdering innocent, unarmed men and women.

"These people are just common people, with no need for war. And what do these wretches bring with them? Betrayal and death." Stava spat angrily.

Rounding a corner she came to a door. Listening to her instincts she carefully stepped up to it and put her ear against it. From the sounds coming from the other side, it sounded as if it led to the outside. She was about to open it when she heard hurried footsteps and angry voices pass by the door.

"Come on, I want to find father and kill all these bastards before they can do anymore harm to my home." A male voice spoke.

"Don't forget we need to find Oriana and Oren as well. I fear what would happen to them if any of these honorless swine were to find them. Once we find them, we can make for the escape tunnel." An old feminine voice replied somewhat shakily.

Stava brought her head from the door.

' _They must be rulers of this castle_.' She deduced.

Deciding it would be best to join forces with the owners of the assaulted castle, she pushed the door open and stepped out into the open corridor. She looked around only a split second before she saw something coming towards her face. On instinct alone she raised her shield and blocked the attack. Looking over her shield she saw another one coming from the side; aimed for her midsection. Stava growled and bashed with her shield, connecting with the face of her attacker, sending them backwards and their sword mere inches from her abdomen.

She was about to press her advantage and kill whoever it was until she saw a brown blur charge and leap onto her, slamming her to the ground and sending her sword and shield clattering to the floor. She quickly realized it was a dog. A very big dog. Stava threw her hands onto both sides of its head; forcing her thumbs into its mouth and holding it by the jaw to keep it from biting down on her neck and face.

She was about to shout it off of her when the oversized dog was suddenly pulled off of her.

"Get back you fat oaf, she's not one of Howe's men." The female voice from earlier said.

Sitting up, Stava looked to the source of the voice and found that it belonged to an older women, looking to be in her late fifties at least. She was wearing a dark leather armor. Her gray hair was held back in a bun with many streaks of gray cutting their way through her blonde hair. There was a fierceness in her old eyes, dampened though, by an intense sadness.

"Are you alright?" She asked, holding her hand out for Stava.

Stava looked at the hand for a second and grabbed it, pulling herself up.

"I've had warmer welcomes before." She said cutting her eyes to the man just behind the old woman. He was holding his nose as blood trickled from it. He was looking her angrily in the eye.

"Your lucky that monster of a dog attacked me you fool." She said. "A few seconds later and you'd be dead."

The man squinted, "Why you little, I-"

"Apologize," The old woman interjected, stepping between the two. "I apologize for my sons brashness. But the situation doesn't exactly call for biscuits and tea, now does it?"

Stava was about to say something else but thought better of it, the situation really didn't call for it. So she just nodded her head.

"Your right." She said. "My name is Stava. We shouldn't tarry much longer though, Howes men are everywhere. I'm right in presuming that your the rulers of this land?" She asked quickly.

The both of them nodded, the man had finally let go of his nose and revealed a patch of dried blood on his face, running down his chin. Stava looked him over quickly. He was built with broad shoulders. His hair and facial hair were brown, just like his eyes. And his armor looked to be of a medium build, mostly steel fashioned pieces with no shoulder pauldrons. He was well equipped and rather handsome in her opinion.

' _Minus the blood Ofcourse_.' She thought to herself.

The man opened his mouth, about to speak, but he was interrupted by a piercing scream from down the corridor.

"We can introduce ourselves later," Stava said quickly, drawing her sword. "People are in danger and there are enemies to slay. If you want you may accompany me, just stay out of my way." She warned.

She started walking past them towards the scream but was grabbed by her shoulder. She turned and saw the old woman's hand and looked to her.

"Please just tell me first, have you seen a woman and boy? The woman would have a strange accent." She said pleadingly.

Stava immediately thought back to the woman and child that she had secured in the room she'd woken up in.

"What has her name?"

"Her name is Oriana and the boys name is Oren, have you seen them?" She said desperately. Even the man was just as interested and looking hopeful.

"Ah." Remembering the woman's name. "Yes. I saved them from a trio of rather, unsavory men. I've locked them in the room I was placed in. Now may we go?" Stava said already taking a step away.

"But-"

"They are safe women, there is no man in this castle that can reach them now. I am the only person who can reach them. Now we leave, no more questions." She said turning around and walking off.

She heard their steps behind her but didn't bother turning. She rounded a corner and felt something fly past her ear. Instinctively she jumped back behind the corner and pressed herself to the wall. She held her hand up to the rulers of the castle to stop them. Stava slowly inched her head around the corner, and instantly popped back at the distinctive twangs of several bows.

"Well they've got archers at the end of this hall, probably more infantry men too." She says to them. Her eyes looking the two up and down, formulating a plan.

"How good are you with that bow?" She asked the old women.

"I've been shooting all my life if that's any indication." She said proudly.

"Good, you'll be firing at them from behind me and your son." Stava said, then switching her gaze to the man.

"I'd prefer it if you called me Aeden." He said indignantly.

Stava simply ignored his indignation and pointed a finger at him.

"You and I will run down the hall shoulder to shoulder, making a two man shield wall. Your mother will fire just over the top of us. And tell your mutt to stay put." She said eyeing the behemoth of a dog and it growled at her slightly.

"His name is Rex, and he is a Mabari warhound, stranger. He's just as capable on the battlefield as any other warrior." Aeden said giving the dog a pat on his head.

"Hmmm, indeed." Stava grumbled and eyeing the dog. "Fine, bring your pet. But is he dies, I don't want hear any moping."

Stava then got into position, Aeden stepped beside her, grumbling somewhat. She waited a moment, brought her shield up and...

"Go!" She yelled.

Both her and Aeden turned the corner and began sprinting down the hall. Stava heard and felt several arrows ping and bounce off her shield. She felt an arrow swoosh over the top of her head from behind, and a yell followed immediately afterwards. She peeked around her shield. Ten feet left, and she watched Rex barrel down the hall in front of them. She gripped her sword tightly and when she was only a four feet away, jumped and brought her sword down on one of the front bowmen.

She barely registered the fact that it clove straight through his shoulder and into his chest. She pulled her sword free and spun, slashing and cutting the throat of another man, spraying her face with hot blood. She glanced to her left and watched Aeden stab a man through his head and then bash another in the face. Stava refocused on the battle, there were a few men left; she head butt one with an arrow in his shoulder and stabbed him in the belly when he hit the ground. The dog was ripping out the throat of another soldier to her left. She turned and closed in on the other and raised her sword to strike when suddenly an arrow was protruding from his eye. Stava turned and saw the old woman jogging down the hall.

Stava sighed disappointedly, ' _A stolen kill._ ' She thought.

"Well it seems your plan worked." Aeden said to her. "But we need to hurry on, we need to find my father."

"And just where would he be? Hmm?" She asked irritably.

"The great hall would be the best place to search first. It's down this other hall and on the left." The old woman said, having reached them.

Stava nodded and followed the directions. She heard Aeden whistle and the padder of paws. Traveling down the hall the sounds of heavy battle grew louder. She reached the door that should lead into the great hall, and not wasting any time, kicked it open and ran inside.

It was pure chaos. Men were fighting like dogs in the hall. Bodies littered the floor and leaked puddles of blood. A group of men that were barely holding the great door closed, they were barely able to fend off the slashing and stabbing of Howes men.

Stava's face almost broke from her smile. She let loose her battle cry and charged into the thick of the battle. She hacked and slashed at every one of Howes men, having to block an attack from a guard of the castle every now and then. She even began laughing from all the carnage and death around her. Her Nordic blood boiling with a battle frenzy. Suddenly she saw the room light up and a bolt of lightning crossed the room.

"MAGE!" She heard someone scream.

Looking around it wasn't hard to find the "Mage." A circle had formed around the woman as the men tried to get as far away from her. She seemed feeble, even by mage standards. The woman's robes looked mundane though, no magical residue to them at all. The oddest thing was the heavy use of her staff.

Stava hooked her shield behind on her back and reached into herself and readied a ward in her left hand. She took a moment to draw on her fight or flight instincts, her will to live. She held her hand out and pushed as hard as she could to expand the ward to a full sized wall of energy and charged the Mage. The woman saw her coming and confused fear filled her eyes at the sight of Stava, she fired off several bolts of lighting and Stava grinned as they bounced off. The Mage fired one last great bolt at her, but Stava tilted the ward and rebounded it at the ceiling. Stava closed the gap, stabbed the Mage through the chest, pulled out and swung to cut her head off.

"All to easy!" She yelled out.

She turned and rejoined the battle, rallying the castle guards and turning the tide against Howes diminishing forces. Stava felt a joy at fighting alongside other warriors, it had been too long since she had spilled blood with others. Though the guards were nothing like the Companions and their battle glory, they did have pure passion.

It was only a few more minutes though until all enemies in the hall had been slaughtered and killed. The immediate threat had been ended and even as the wounded were being tended, many of the men fought to keep the great door closed; a constant banging from the other side threatening to break through. Stava stood there next to a fire place and took a couple of breathes to relax for a moment from her fatigue, using the ward spell had drained her somewhat; Restoration never worked for her like Alteration did. Looking around, many of the guards were doing the same, a few who were nearby when she killed the Mage gave her odd looks of fear though; but she just ignored them.

Stava's attention was then caught by the of voice Aeden. She looked over and saw him talking another man, his mutt at his side. The other man was a rather tall red headed soldier of some sort in a medium armor of leather and chainmail.

"Gilmore, please tell me you've seen my father?" She heard him ask.

"He was with us here my lord, fighting with us until Howe's forces began to overwhelm us and I forced him to make for the kitchens. I sent several of my men too, please hurry my lord, find the Teyrn and escape this place. My men and I will hold the doors for as long as we can." Gilmore said walking off to the doors with the rest of his men, shouting out orders to bar the door.

"Alright." Stava said stepping up to him. "We have a location, let's gather your mother and make for the kitchens. You lead the way."

"Right." He nodded. The both of them made for the exit; grabbing Aeden's mother, Eleana, Stava learned and made for the kitchens. Following Aeden, Stava noticed a drop in enemy encounters. She could only assume that the rest of them were outside the gates and that the ones she had encountered were only a token force.

' _I wish that I could simply sit around for once. And relax from the constant fighting. I feel like I've done nothing but fight since Helgen_.' She thought morosely.

She pushed the thoughts away though, fighting was simply her nature, her destiny. Glancing over to Eleana she felt the smallest pang of sadness for the old women. Her face was stricken with anguish and streaks of tears. Stava decided right then and there that there would be no retreat that night. There would only be victory and an absolute conquering of the enemy. Howe and his men were no better than bandits and raiders, and Stava _hated_ bandits and raiders.

The group rounded a corner and were greeted by the sight of a man armored in silver, shredding through a handful of soldiers with his twin swords. Stava watched him, and she could tell that this man was a professional. The way he moved, the way he swung, all of it pointed to him being a master of fighting. He had an obvious age to him, he had to have seen at least 40 winters. And his armor, it was like the armor of a prince.

When he finished his fight he turned, saw them and marched his way to them.

"My lady Cousland, I'm relieved to see you unharmed." He addressed Eleana. "And you as well prince Cousland, it breaks my heart to see your home attacked like this." He said solemnly.

He turned his gaze onto Stava and gave her an intense calculating stare. She met his stare and returned the intensity and then some. This man, while being an obvious expert of fighting, was nothing compared to the enemies she had faced. It was only a matter of time before he blinked.

But to Stava's surprise and his credit, he blink.

"And you must be the stranger the Couslands found in the nearby forest. It is good to see you unharmed. I am Duncan, Warden-Commander of the Grey Wardens here in Ferelden. And you are?" He asked with eyebrow raised.

"My name is Stava, and we can exchange pleasantries and titles after the battle and find the, what do you call him? Teyern?." She asked trying to get the title correct.

"The "Teyrn" yes. I myself had been looking for him." Duncan said, giving her a strange look.

"Hmm, such a strange word. But we shouldn't just be standing here chatting. The teryn needs to be found. Now you can join our search or continue crushing these witless fools, I care not." Stava said, not caring about the look he was giving her.

"He should be through this door here." Eleana said urgently, pushing past them. She hurriedly stepped over the recently deceased dead and threw herself into the door and into the kitchen.

Not even a few seconds later they heard an ear piercing scream. Aeden was the first to start running, frantic and wild, he almost dropped his sword and shield, Rex following after him. Stava and Duncan followed after the trio and into the kitchen. She found a trail of blood leading into a back room, on both sides of the door were dead guards of the castle. Stava walked past the fresh corpses and into the room. Inside was a scene of pure sadness. Aeden was on his knees next to his mother, his dog whimpering with its ears pinned back, and in Eleana's arms laid who she assumed to be her husband, the Teyrn. He was clutching his gut, where she saw a constant flowing of blood.

"Oh maker. Bryce, what happened?" Eleana asked, fighting back sobs.

"It was Rendon *cough* he *cough* found me waiting here. I, I couldn't leave without you." He said reaching a shaky hand to Eleana's face.

"Maker damn him then. Come father, we can still get you away from here." Aeden then reached for his father but Bryce just slapped his hands away.

"No! *cough* Its too late for me. I won't make it. But you can before the rest of *cough cough* Rendon's forces make it in." Bryce urged.

"We can't!" Eleana interjected. "Even if I was prepared to leave you here, which I will never do, we must still find Oren and Oriana." She said forcefully.

The three Couslands fell into a slight squabble. Bryce demanding that they leave him and save themselves. Aeden not wanting to leave the fight at all, except to secure his family. And Eleana refused profusely to leave without her husband. Stava turned to Duncan and the two shared a look. Someone had to take control.

' _Time to repay my debt in full.'_ Stava thought.

"How badly do you want to live?" She asked the Teyrn as she kneeled down in front of him.

He gave a confused look. "As badly as any man with a family." He croaked.

"Good, hold onto that need to live. Focus on it and it alone. Make it everything about your very existence." Stava said, examining the stab wounds in the Teyrn's abdomen.

The punctures were deep and twisted. The bleeding was heavy, his intestines also punctured. Stava brought her hands forward and placed them on the wounds, causing him to moan in pain. She closed her eyes and focused her magicka in the form of restoration. She saw the golden glow of her magic through her eye lids and heard a gasp. Her spell seeped from her hands into the Teyrn's body, healing the wounds and replacing the lost blood. She only hoped the man wanted to live as badly as he said. An exhaustion began to creep it's way into Stava, her inexperience at Restoration taking its toll. But she held the spell until she was satisfied with her work, at which point she released it and fell back on her butt.

Stava opened her eyes and saw two things. The first was the Teyrn's wounds had healed properly and his breathing returned to normal. The second however, was Eleana and Aeden's fearful wide eyed looks.

"Your a, a Mage?" Aeden asked dumbfounded.

Stava groaned and put her hand to her forehead.

"I wouldn't say Mage per say. But I am capable in a few schools of magic." She replied.

She watched Duncan step to her and offer his hand. Stava took it and he helped pull her up.

"That was no magic I've ever seen. And I have spent time among mages before." Duncan said to her.

Stava raised an eyebrow.

' _How is it so_?' She thought. ' _That is one of the most common Restoration spells there are_.'

"We can discuss this later." Stava said. "The Teyrn will live now. There's just one last thing for me to handle. And I believe once I have that we can answer all of our questions. Especially why your giving me those fearful looks." She said somewhat coldly.

Stava turned and walked out the room.

"Where are you going?" She heard Duncan call after her.

"To end this. Stay here and protect them." She said without stopping.

She was going to end this disgraceful night of murder. And she would strike total fear in the hearts of her enemies. Justice was to be delivered, and Howes men's trial would one of fire.

**TDB**TDB**TDB**TDB**

Gilmore always stood by his men. Always. To the end of every battle he'd ever been in. Even now as he fought to keep the great door closed, the thought of running had never even crossed his mind. He was ready to die with them so that the Couslands had a chance to escape.

He almost lost his balance when a huge bang shook the whole door and nearly busted it open.

"Well it seems they finally smartened up brought a battering ram. Hold as long as you can men!" He yelled out.

' _Won't be long now_.' He thought. ' _Battle will be over soon_.' Acceptance of the situation finally struck him.

Another bang and a dent formed in the door. Gilmore saw the looks of hopelessness cross the faces of his men. He hated that they had to die for this. Hated that their home was razed and ransacked. Hated Howe and his cowardice. Hated the sound of boots coming from behind him.

He turned and pushed against the door with his back. He was shocked to see the stranger that was with Aeden coming toward them. He was even more shocked by the look on her face. A look of sheer determination with a true rage in her eyes.

"What are you doing back here? Are the Couslands safe?" He asked desperately, wanting some small bit of good news.

"They are." She replied simply, stopping some fifteen feet away.

"I want you to open the door."

Gilmore's mind went blank for a few seconds, before another bang from the battering ram jostled him back to reality.

"Are you insane?! If this door opens all the rest of Howes forces get in and everyone who's still alive dies!" He yelled at her.

"You will open it as you are told to!" She roared back at him.

Gilmore felt everything shake, and it wasn't from the battering ram. He locked eyes with her and immediately realized that he wasn't going to win the fight. He shook his head in acceptance.

"Open it as far as you can when I say the word 'Toor'." She said taking a deep breath.

He turned around and readied himself. His men looked to him, asking with their eyes if they were really going to do this. Gilmore shook his head yes to them.

"Yol!" She started.

"Maker, protect me or welcome me into your house." Gilmore prayed quietly.

"Toor!" She yelled slowly.

They pulled the door open. Running back with it and were greeted by the hollering of Howes men and the sight of them charging.

"SHUUUUUUUUUUUUL!"

Gilmore froze. His eyes widened in astonished fear. A great gout of flame erupted from the woman's lips and washed over the flow of troops. He barely registered the agonized wails and screams as he continued to watch the woman breathe fire. His eyes begged to be shielded from the intensity of the flame but he was to shocked to move. Gilmore had seen much in his life, fought battles, executed criminals, nearly die. But this was like no other experience. He felt so small compared to power he could feel from this woman. He was terrified.

But it was all over before he knew it. The flames ceased and the woman was standing there, breathing deeply. A wall of smell hit him then. It was putrid and made him gag. He kept his eyes on the women, not daring to look at the aftermath of the flames. Then he heard her speak cryptically.

"What will I burn, what will I spare."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Howdy ho fanfiction readers. I bring to you the fourth chapter of the story. Do tell me if I'm doing anything wrong and if you see something you like well go on and shout to the sky about. Leave a review if you've got something to say. Have fun.**

The Dragonborn's Blight Ch.4

"Who was kin to both Wyrm and the races of Man"

 _Stava stood atop a mountain. One that felt just like The Throat of The World. But... it was different, Paarthurnax was nowhere to be seen, and the old broken wall of power was missing. And the sky, the sky was blood red and a black swirling hole held its place high in the sky. When she took a step, she felt something crack and crunch under her boot. Looking down, she found what it was. A skull. Hundreds of skulls, and bones and entire skeletons littered the ground around her. Some completely clean of flesh, others still held clumps of muscle and sinew._

 _"What madness is this?" She asked aloud quietly, a subtle fear gripping her._

 _*thwump*_

 _Stava's eyes widened. She knew that sound._

 _*thwump*_

 _She turned her head this way and that, looking for the source of that all too familiar sound._

 _*thwump*_

 _The sound of wings beating in the air grew so loud, that when Stava looked up and finally found the source of them, she felt a cold sliver of pure fear slide into her heart._

 _"Do you see me Dovakiin? Do you see me for what I am? Zu'u los rah! Zu'u los vozah ahrk pah suleykaar!" The great black dragon Alduin roared, shaking the ground and rattling the bones._

 _Stava took a step back, trepidation filling her. She reached for her sword and felt her hip lacking it._

 _"H-how are you here?! I slayed you in Sovngarde! Watched you die!" She yelled back at him._

 _"I told you Dovakiin," He said, dropping to ground, shattering dozens of skeletons. "I am immortal, I shall never die nor be felled! Hi nis mindoraan dii suleyk, joor."_

 _He slowly moved towards her, each step shaking the ground. Stava tried to back away but found that she couldn't move her legs. She repressed a scream when she saw that it was multiple skeletons holding her in place. Alduin was now right in front of her, mere inches away from her face; his hot breath suffocating her and his crimson eyes piercing through her._

 _"So long as you live Dovahkiin, I will also live. Drun pahvoth naal dez." His evil voice spoke._

 _"Why did you do this?" Stava said, waving her arm to the carnage around her. "How did you do this?!" She screamed._

 _A deep gravelly sound emanated from Alduin's throat. A laugh if she guessed correctly. He looked right into her eye, staring deep into her soul._

 _"What makes you think I was the one who caused this? I am not the only destroyer, Dovahkiin."_

**TDB**TDB**TDB**TDB**

Stava jolted awake, her body shuddering and her heart racing. She had fallen asleep in the padded chair she found in the back of the library. She was unused to the fatigue she had felt, the battle from the previous night hadn't really tired her as much as her use of Restoration had fatigued her. And she had to use magic later that night to free the woman and child Oriana and Oren, rest was needed; and a nightmare was the last thing she needed. Leaning forward she put her hand to her forehead, a recurring theme for her lately.

"That was, intense. What did I do to piss you off Vaermina?" She asked out to the air.

She was surprised to have had a nightmare, they hadn't happened to her ever since the incident in Dawnstar. The daedric prince of nightmares had cut her a deal for saving the Skull of Corruption from being destroyed.

"Heh, maybe the deal doesn't apply in different realms." Stava said with a fake chuckle.

Saying that made her realize something, something she'd been ignoring. She was in a different realm of existence. She had already knew that she was but it was in this moment, in the quiet of the library, that it finally sunk in. She was no longer in Nirn. She was all alone in a completely foreign place with no real idea of what to do. All she knew was that she was supposed to stop a blight; even though she didn't know what that was.

"Why me?" Stava said falling back into the chair and shutting her eyes.

It seemed no matter where she went, there was always a problem that needed solving. Always a beast that needed killing, a criminal to be caught, a family treasure to be reclaimed. It was as if all the worlds problems always found a way to land on Stava's shoulders. But she always fought on through, ever since the chopping block at Helgen she had fought on through. When Whiterun needed defending form Mirmulnir, she fought on through. When the Silver Hand attacked the Companions, she fought on through. Stava only knew fighting and violence, and it was tiring.

Stava then heard footsteps coming in her direction.

"Great, now companies coming." She groaned quietly.

Stava opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of Aeden walking to her. His face now clean of blood and his armor replaced with clothes of a finer make. His sword was still belted to his hip though. She finally gave his face a proper look and saw that he had high cheekbones and a strong jaw. And his nose was straight and not too wide, even after Stava had bashed it with her shield.

"I see your finally awake." He said having reached her.

"Obviously, lest this is an incredibly detailed dream that one of us is having. I should hope one of doesn't suddenly become naked." She replied smartly.

Aeden didn't seem amused and ignored her. "My father requests your presence in his study. He and others, myself included, would like some questions answered. You posed many of them last night."

*sigh* "Then lead the way, I'm sure it'll take quite some time to answer all your questions. And answer all of mine." Stava said standing from the chair.

"Right then, follow me." He said turning and walking off.

Stava followed after him. In truth, she was actually looking forward to the talk, hoping that it may reveal some things about this world to her. It was then as she was walking that another thought struck. Should she reveal her origin to these people? They may find it hard to believe that she was of another world, that they are not alone in existence.

' _It may cause problems. But maybe honesty of the situation would be best. We'll see when we reach that point I suppose._ ' She thought to herself.

Stava and Aeden walked through a door and out into the open corridors. People crowded them, many nursing wounds and mourning their dead. The attack was not only on the castle itself, but the surrounding village as well. And it was Stava's "disposal" of the forces at the main gate that ended the attack. From what she was told, a large number of troops were at said gate when she unleashed her flame; and all the remaining forces had dispersed. The only downfall was that the man behind it all, Arl Howe as it was, had gotten away and ran in fear.

"Speaking of fear." She mumbled.

The looks she was being given from the people were not the kind and thankful that she was expecting. They were looks of fear, suspect and worry. Some even dared to glare at her from the corners of their eyes.

"Ungrateful joors." She said irritably.

"What does that mean?" Aeden asked turning his head to her. "You used it out in the forest when we first found you. In fact, you were using a language I had never heard in my life."

"Yes well, I don't know why I was, I guess I bumped my head. But to answer your question, it means "Mortal" in the dragon tongue."

Aeden's brow furrowed. "Dragon tongue? And what's that supposed to be?"

"Well it's a rather self explanatory name wouldn't you say so? I'll explain later I suppose, but not now." Stava replied, letting her eyes wander up to the blue sky.

Aeden sighed. "Why use the word mortal though? You use it as though you weren't one yourself."

Stava didn't answer. She remained silent, letting the statement hang in the air. Technically she was mortal, in the sense that she could die. But she was not truly mortal, having the blood and soul of a dragon made her very different from a mortal. For all intents and purposes, she was a dragon; lacking only in scales and wings. The scales she could live without, the wings however... she was incredibly envious of dragons and their ability to fly. Ever since her first time flying on Sahrotaar through Apocrypha, she had been addicted to the sensation. The wind rushing through her air, the feeling of a cloud in her hands.

"Come on then, through here." Aeden said going through a door and snapping her out of her reverie.

Stava followed, and when they stepped through another door, she found herself standing a medium sized square room; the walls were lined with bookshelves and paintings and display cases. Straight ahead was the Teyrn, he was sitting behind a finely built oak desk. To his right stood Duncan, whose arms were folded behind him and an ever patient look on his face. To the Teyrn's left sat Eleana, who smiled and gave Stava a grateful look.

"I see your finally awake, how fared your rest?" Bryce asked her with some actual concern.

"Twas not the best sleep I've had, but that doesn't really matter. I'm sure you have a thousand questions to ask me." Stava said, taking the chair in front of the desk and sitting.

"A thousand and one." Bryce replied, locking eyes with Stava. "I'll get straight to the point, you've caused quite a stir around her and I've some big questions for first and foremost being, who are you? And why did you help us? Not that I'm complaining, but you do not know us; we very well could be the nefarious ones here, and the men you fought last night the righteous ones."

"Well if you were, it wouldn't really matter." She said with a smirk. "They attacked me and so they made an enemy of me. And from what I saw last night, they were the nefarious ones. Not you."

She now stood from the chair, hand on her hip. "But to answer your first question, I am Stava Ice-Breaker, Stormblade of Skyrim, Thane to Whiterun and Windhelm, Harbinger of the Companions, Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold and..."

' _Do I tell them? It'll certainly be the hardest to explain._ ' She debated quickly. ' _Oh, to Oblivion with it._ '

"And the Dragonborn." She added at the last second, banging her fist on her chest plate.

She sat down again and saw that they all had quizzical and curious looks.

"Well, those are some, interesting titles. Forgive me if I don't understand what any of them mean. Though, the one about being an "Arch-Mage" as you put it, does concern me somewhat. So you are a Mage?" He asked rather warily, leaning forward.

"I do not classify myself entirely as a Mage." Stava said, narrowing her eyes. "I am only talented in one school of magic, though I am capable in others; hence how we are having this conversation. My blade has felled more foes than my magic ever has and so I am a warrior, a fighter. Why does my being magically inclined make you wary?" She asked leaning forward as well.

The Teyrn's eyes widened ever so slightly. "You must be from a far away place if you have to ask that question." He replied to her.

"Indeed I am. And I will tell you, once you answer my question. Why does my magic frighten you and these people? I have noticed the looks given to me." Stava said sternly.

"It is because," Duncan cut in, stepping forward. "Magic has not had a good reputation throughout history. Surely, even an outlander such as yourself has heard of the Chantry or even the Tevinter Imperium?" He asked, staring her down with an almost knowing look.

Stava smirked once again. ' _This one's clever._ '

"Well I suppose that the only way to get any further in this conversation is if I'm honest with you. *sigh* What I'm going to tell you is going to be very hard for you to believe, it is about where I am from. You may even question my sanity, but know that it is the truth."

Bryce rotated his hand, motioning for her to continue.

"I am from another world." She said plainly.

...

All of them burst into a flurry of questions. Aeden questioning her sanity, Eleana asking if she were sent by "The Maker". Bryce kept going on on about how it wasn't even possible. And Duncan, Duncan actually remained silent. A deep contemplative look etched across his face. Stava was glad at least one of them stayed quiet, she was beginning to get a headache from the other three spouting out their questions. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and was contemplating using a small amount of her voice to silence them.

"Enough!" Bryce exclaimed, slamming his hand down. Aeden and Eleana quieted themselves and watched Stava with curious eyes.

' _Thank the nine he got them to shut up_.' She thought thankfully.

Bryce laced his fingers together in front of his face and took a deep breath.

"How do we know what you say is the truth?" He asked in a serious tone.

"Ha, Ov los med gel ko ven. I have no reason to lie to you, trusting me is a matter of choice. Wether you do or do not, has no real implication here. But it would be much easier if you did. If it helps, I swear upon my honor that I do not lie to you, and that I am indeed from another world." Stava said bowing her head slightly.

Bryce sighed. "Well, if you really are from another world, which I'm not saying I believe you. Why are you here? Must be a truly important reason for you to have came all the way from another world." He stated.

"I don't know entirely, but before I was sent here, I was told I was to stop something called a Blight from swallowing this world in doom."

As she said that, Stava watched Duncan's face light up in shock for a split second, before returning to its previous blankness.

"So your saying your here to stop the Blight? All by yourself?" Aeden asked, from his position beside her.

"Well," She said, turning her head to him. "Given my previous adventures, I'm sure once I've obtained a unique item that was lost to the ages, which is the key to stopping it. Some final push for the end when all seems lost and I'll step in and stop the evil that is attacking." Stava said with all seriousness.

"Pfffft, hahaha." Aeden burst out laughing. "Well, haha, I guess we can all just sit back and let you handle the whole Blight. Could you finish up before lunch? I do hate the world ending interrupting my meal." He said, laughing the whole time.

"Aeden, this is serious." Bryce said, giving his son a glare.

Aeden changed his tone immediately to an angry one. "No it's not. This women is clearly insane. I do thank you for helping us last night, and for saving my father and everyone else. But do you have any idea what a Blight is?"

Stava furrowed her brow. "Clearly I do not. Why don't you explain to me what exactly it is. Since you are so obviously an expert."

"Perhaps," Duncan cut in once again, ending his silence. "It would be best if I did."

And so he went on to explain to her what a Blight was. Apparently they happened every few hundred years or so, whenever creatures called Darkspawn, would find and corrupt an ancient sleeping Dragon God, turning it into an Arch-Demon. Stava didn't like the idea of there being dragons in this world, though it would help her in explaining that she was Dragonborn.

' _The second even one of them finds me, if there are any left, they'll all be coming to challenge me_.' She griped in her head. But then another question came to her.

"But what could possibly have the power to corrupt a Dragon? Their souls are notably, stubborn." She said.

They all gave her odd looks, as if what she said was in another language.

"Now I've only seen a dragon once in my life. ," Duncan started. "But from the tales and accounts I've heard from dragon hunters, they are nothing more than intelligent animals. The creatures that become Archdemons are said to be spirits that took the form of Dragons. Ancient and powerful, legend says it was they who taught man magic and convinced the people's to worship them; for this the Maker banished them to their prisons deep underground." He explained.

Stava only barely listened to the last bit. Hearing that dragons were no mare than animals in this world sounded almost impossible. A dragon was a dragon, a child of Akatosh, an almost divine being of truly incredible power. The very idea that they be mere beasts was almost an insult to the name dovah. And it also meant she was going to have a difficult time explaining that she was Dragonborn.

"They're not real dragons then if they are just animals." Stava said crossing her arms. She had great pride in being of the dragon kind. And had even grown to respect many of the dov she had encountered.

"But these "Archdemons" as you call them." She began. "They sound more like dragons, probably not true dov, but close enough. Congratulations then, corrupted or not, I can handle any dragon. And these Darkspawn, well, I have faced a myriad of monsters; and these ones will fall to me like all others. And then maybe I'll be able to go home." She said to them.

Aeden started laughing again. Bryce was starting to question her sanity as well. Duncan just stayed quiet and watched her. And Eleana-

"I have a question for you, Stava." Eleana said, getting her attention by using her first name.

"And that would beeee?"

"When you were giving us all those titles of yours, you hesitated at the end, when you called yourself "Dragonborn". What does that mean? What is a Dragonborn?" Eleana asked with curiosity dripping in voice. Aeden and Bryce started paying attention again as well.

Stava sighed. "Well, that is a bit of debate where I come from. But to make things easier, I'll only explain the part that pertains to me. Oh, and by the way, you'll most likely call me insane once I tell you, but should you not believe me; I will simply prove my being Dragonborn to you. Consider yourself lucky in that regard, I don't normally do this, but I need your help." She said to them.

"To be Dragonborn is to be born with the blood and soul of a dragon. In my world dragons are not animals, they are immensely powerful beings that are the children of Akatosh; and so am I. I can use their power against them and devour their souls. In nature, there is always a predator that all others fear, I am that predator to the Dov, I am the one they fear. Zu'u Dovakiin, Zu'u Qahnaarin." She allowed her Thu'um to flow through her last words, shaking the room slightly.

She got the reaction she was hoping for. All of them, including Duncan, looked at her with shocked expressions and silence rung through the room. If they didn't believe she was from another world now, or that she was what she said she was, they never would.

Stava then proceeded to explain what her power, the Thu'um, was and how it worked. She told them how it was because of her Thu'um that she annihilated the forces at the main gate. She explained to them that the Thu'um was the power of creation and destruction given form in language, that it was the power of gods. They seemed especially interested (and aghast) when she told them how she devoured the soul of a dragon when she killed one.

"So," Aeden began. "Instead of their souls going, wherever it is they go-"

"Aetherius."

"You eat them?" He asked, not really sure how to form the question.

"In the most basic of terms, yes." Stava answered to him.

And so it went on like that for for the next two hours. They would ask her questions and she would answer. She explained as much as she was willing to. Stava told them a minute amount about Skyrim, the climate, the people; she told them about the Empire even, just a lost of useless information. She asked them questions in return. Such as where she was and what this world was called. Ferelden in the southern part of Thedas was what they told her. She was told a little about the races of the world. Elves were here, and it made Stava laugh to hear of their place in the world. Petty second class citizens that had no real power in the world that lived under the boot of humans, it reminded her of the dark elves. Stava was far from racist, she'd met and travelled with many elves and knew many of them to be good honorable people. Still, the humor was not lost on her, imagining many high elves in that sort of state.

"So your telling me, that elves are impoverished people that under the heel of normal society?" She asked with held back humor.

"Yes, it is a very unfortunate state and I try to do as best I can for the ones under me. Why do you ask? Do you have elves where your from?" Bryce asked her back.

"We do. But believe me, they are not the weaklings you've made out yours to be. In fact there are race of them, High Elves they're called, who are incredibly powerful; they even brought the empire to its knee's in the Great War. They have a very supremacist view of the world. They aren't the friendliest of people." She explained to them. The idea of powerful elves that could break human society didn't seem to sit well with them.

They then told her about huge "Ox Men" named Qunari. Only Duncan could tell her about them, for he was the only to have ever met one. Incredibly tall and usually quite muscular, they were gray skinned and had horns of various sizes. The Qunari, as Duncan explained, were a very reserved species that followed a very strict way of life called the Qun. Stava anticipated meeting one when Duncan told her of how they were warriors of nearly unmatched skill; she wanted to put that one to the test.

Her curiosity was truly inflamed when the word "Dwarves" was dropped. She asked about them immediately, but was disappointed by their descriptions. They were half as tall as the average person, had no magic whatsoever in their blood, and were apparently immune to it as well. They even held no kinship to the elves at all, they were their own separate race of people.

"So much for finding the lost race." She muttered under her breath.

It was only a few more minutes of talking before the conversation finally ended. Stava told them she was ready to leave and rest. Duncan was staying however, he apparently had something to talk with the Couslands about. The Teyrn gave her leave to explore the castle and surrounding area if she so wished and that he would speak with her again soon. Stava stood from her chair, bowing her head to the nobles and Duncan, and left the room accordingly, but was stopped at the doorway.

"Are you really here to fight this evil?" Eleana asked her. "Or are you just a maddened fool?"

Stava grinned. "Most days? A little bit of both." And she closed the door.

Stava sighed as she walked through the halls, she was relieved that that conversation was finally over. Twisting her head she sighed once again from the multiple pops in her neck. Her body was stiff and she decided exactly what she was going to do. Stava made for her room to drop off her equipment.

"Time to do some training." She said. "I do hope the weather is cold out."

**TDB**TDB**TDB**TDB**

Aeden walked aimlessly about the grounds of the castle. His mind fixated on what Duncan had spoken to them about after Stava had left. The idea of becoming a Grey Warden was both exhilarating and terrifying. But the idea of being at the forefront of the fight against the Blight and being able to combat the evil threatening his home made him confident in his decision.

"No matter how much mother and father may be against it, I can't sit back and watch the world fight without me. I will be a Grey Warden." He said aloud for himself, his breath misting in the cold air.

It was cold out, the clouds creating an overcast. It was cold enough to force Aeden into wearing a fur, worn and clasped like a cape, as he walked the grounds. Aeden was thankful though that it wasn't going to snow, it was too cold for the flurries of ice to fall. He was not thankful however for that the very fact, he shivered slightly and pulled his fur tighter around him. He always hated the cold. But he forgot his discomfort when he heard a nearby grunt. He stopped and heard it again, it was coming from a pond Aeden knew to be close.

He followed the sound, wondering who and what was making it. Pushing his way through some light shrubbery and small pines he made it to the clearing around the pond, he stopped and gazed at the sight before him. It was Stava. She was facing the pond, giving him a sideways view, and was squatting with a fallen log on her shoulders. Her normally sharp and fierce features were scrunched in concentration. The armor she wore earlier was removed and loose pants with a sleeveless tunic took its place. The women had forgone any kind of shoe, she was barefoot in almost freezing temperature.

' _She's insane_.' Aeden thought.

He shifted and a snap filled the air, he looked down and saw that he had stepped on a twig. Aeden looked back up and as quickly as he could, dove out into the clearing as a log crashed into the place he was standing. He tried to sit up so he could figure out how the log was flung like that, but a fist connected with his cheek and his pinned to the ground with a shin on his throat.

"You know, if we keep meeting like this, your going to end up meeting your ancestors in the afterlife." Stava said humorously.

"Do you mind not strangling me?" Aeden forced out.

"I don't know, do you mind not being a little sneak?" Stava asked asked him.

Aeden patted her on the leg, signaling that he was running out of air. Stava laughed and leaped off of him, walking back to her spot by the pond. Aeden bolted up and gasped for air, coughing and rubbing his throat.

"Maker, you are completely insane!" He yelled at Stava, making him cough more.

"Don't be such a milk drinker. You'll live, but I do warn you not to do it again." She said, sitting by the pond and dipping her bare feet into the water.

Aeden stood back up and walked over to her.

"Are you trying to freeze off your limbs? Do you realize how cold it is out here?" A slight breeze punctuated that and made him shiver.

"Humph, there's barely a nip in the air. Back in Skyrim, the weather is colder than this even in its warmest regions. I'm a Nord, I don't feel the cold like others. A river would have to freeze before I wore more than a few furs."

"So your still saying your from another dimension or whatever." He sat down next to Stava, looking out over the pond.

"You still don't believe me?" Stava asked turning to face him.

"Don't get me wrong, you spin quite the tale. But I think your just another mage, a pretty one, but still just another mage." He said condescendingly.

"Oh so you think I'm pretty?"

He saw the glare form in her eyes, and it felt like daggers. He sighed, he shouldn't speak like that to the person who saved his family; he was still just so angered by Howes betrayal. But in his defense, why should he believe some stranger? Especially one who used magic. He felt something on his head suddenly, making lose his train of thought. Aeden looked up and frowned.

"Oh great, a cold rain is coming in. We'd better get inside, lest we be frozen where we sit."

He stood up and started back to the castle, but stopped when he noticed that Stava wasn't following him. She was still sitting by the water.

"Didn't hear you me? It's about to rain." He said.

Stava barely turned her head and replied. "No, it isn't."

He watched her tilt her head to the sky and breathe in deeply.

"LOK VAH KOOR!"

It was like a thunder clap right in front of him. An almost invisible wave exploded from her lips and raced towards the sky. Aeden gaped as the clouds dispersed and the blue sky revealed itself, the sun shining brightly. He couldn't believe his eyes, the weather only bowed to the maker, but here it was that this women commanded the sky and it obeyed.

"Now do you believe me?" Stava asked him, still sitting nonchalantly by the pond.

Aeden responded only by nodding. In this moment he realized something. Whether she was lying or not, this woman was more powerful than anything he had ever heard of. And he was thankful that she was on their side.

"S-so that's the thoom you were talking about?" He asked shakily.

"The Thu'um, yes. As you can see, it's more than just some force of destruction. It has some drawbacks though. Certain shouts pull on your essence and will and require a bit of time before your can shout again. I've found though that the more I use it, the quicker and quicker I can use it again."

"Bet it comes in handy if you need to get someone's attention." Aeden joked.

Stava chuckled, stood up and started walking to him. Aeden forgot for a moment just what he'd witnessed as he got lost in sashaying of her hips. In fact, her whole body mesmerized him, the way she walked was so graceful. Before he knew it, she was right in front of him, Aeden already considered her beautiful, but from this close he realized that she was absolutely gorgeous.

"You said yourself that I'm pretty. May I tell you something? Something we teach to everyone where I'm from." She whispered to him.

Aeden just nodded, not sure how to proceed.

Her grin should have been the first sign of trouble. She kicked his legs out from under him and he face planted the ground.

"Never let your guard down. That's what we teach everyone." Stava said, walking off to the castle.

Aeden groaned and rolled over onto his back. He couldn't help but to chuckle and laugh at himself. He fell for the oldest trick in the book. He knew then at that moment that he and her would somehow get along just fine.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: SO YEAH, I KNOW. A WHOLE YEAR. THATS MY BAD. THERES BEEN ALOT GOING ON. BUT, I PROMISE. THIS STORY IS GOING TO HAPPEN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

**TDB**TDB**TDB**

The Dragonborn's Blight Ch. 5

"Beware Beware, The Dragonborn's Come"

Five days had passed since Stava had arrived in Thedas. In those five days she had begun to adjust to her new setting and enjoyed learning about this new place. But it was bittersweet as she felt a sense of homesickness deep in her core. Often when she was alone and all was quiet, she would wonder after the state of Skyrim, if it was safe and secure. Even though she had conquered the greatest evils Skyrim ever faced, she knew there was always something left in the shadows. The Thalmor being the greatest concern. The fascist elves of Summerset were always up to something, and Stava knew that they would attempt retribution after she and Ulfric hunted them down and ousted them from Skyrim.

"Ulfric." She whispered, fiddling with a page and looking off into space.

Stava sat in the castles library. It was early morning and the quiet candlelit room intensified her melancholy. It grew more so with the thought of Ulfric, her greatest friend. Stava thought back all the time to when she first met Ulfric; his voice defiant and prideful in that burning tower at Helgen. That speech of his when she first walked into the Palace of Kings, his powerful words emboldened her in the pride she had for Skyrim, and the need to free it from the weakened Empire. And so she joined his Stormcloaks and after a year and a half of fighting by his side, fightin the Domion and the Empire at every turn; they conquered Skyrim, kicked out the Empire and hunted down the remaining Thalmor. Skyrim had finally become what it once was, always meant to be. Free.

But it was after the war when things got... Complicated. The threat of being invaded again wasn't too high for them, the Empire was too weak and the Dominion was too busy with draining the Empire and trying to take Hammerfell; which had played well into Stava and Ulfric's plan to take the fight to the Dominion. She smiled and stared into the flame of her candle. After several month's of secret messages and nighttime meetings; She and Ulfric brokered an Alliance with the desert province's King. It was a night she remembered well and thought back to often.

But, she couldn't allow herself to be lost in nostalgia again, she had an objective here in the library. To learn as much about Thedas as she could.

What she had found was beyond intriguing and brought out her inner scholar. The history of Thedas was almost as colorful as Nirns. Almost. But it was also bleak and filled more with darkness than light. Blights. They had stained the world with such fear and oppression that it was nearly impossible to find anything without reference or being linked to one. And from what she was able to figure out, the current blight was the fifth and that there were two left. The "Old Gods" that she was told about seemed to be the reasons behind Blights, almost as if one could not exist without an Archdemon being created. And from what she read, these blights were practical extinction level events that brought the civilizations of Thedas to the breaking point. The most disturbing fact, was that the Blight was more akin to a disease than anything. Turning anyone and anything it touched into Darkspawn by way of something aptly called, The Taint.

"It's lucky this world has these Grey Wardens, lest death would have taken them long ago." Stava mumbled as she began flipping through pages again.

In every instance of a Blight having been ended, she saw that it was always a Grey Warden that struck the killing blow. Never anyone else. Now, Stava had read that the Grey Wardens were elite warriors with more skill than blood in their body, that turned the tide against the Darkspawn with deadly efficiency. But she could tell already that there was something else behind it; a missing piece that somebody had lost. Intentionally. The fact that none of her research ever spoke of a Grey Warden succumbing to the Taint was proof enough. In her readings, Stava had noticed a considerable lack of information on the order besides what the common man knew. Even the library of a noble family, the most expensive and well written tomes she could find on the subject were made from the already known and speculation. This lack of information agitated the Last Dragonborn to no end.

"I so tire of these secret organizations. If they would just tell people what they know then it save me all the irratation of discovering it." She groaned as she leaned back in her chair.

"Yes, but then what would be the point of keeping the secret?" A deep male voice said, making Stava jolt upright throwing her fists up defensively.

She stopped herself, however, when she saw who the owner of the voice belonged to. Duncan, he stood a few feet from the table, at the edge of the candle light. His armor, which he didn't seem to ever take off, gleamed with the dim light and shimmered. Now that she finally had a chance to look at it, she noticed a strange symbol painted on it. The symbol was of an animal she could tell, but it was strange in that it was an odd amalgamation of parts; as though it were a combination of a saber tooth and hawk. Another odd thing she would need to learn of for this world, the differences in local animal life.

Stava relaxed and looked Duncan in the eyes.

"The point would be to save lives and time. There is nothing more stressful or dangerous than learning the key to victory until the last second. Divines know that it would be best to tell." She said exasperatedly.

Duncan hummed and grabbed a lone chair, dragging it over to Stava's table. Sitting down he crossed his arms and looked about book strewn table.

"Doing a little light reading?" He asked with a chuckle.

Stava snorted at that. "Light would be an understatement. This world is full of new knowledge and an entire history I need to learn and have learned. Maps, local histories, governments, battles and wars."

"And religion." She said pointedly, glancing out the corner of her eyes, her brows scrunching angrily.

"Ah, yes. I wondered when we would have this conversation." Duncan readjusted himself and ran his gloved hand down his face.

Stava herself sat up straight and pulled one of many tomes from under a pile. It was open on a page with a golden orange star, the symbol of the Chantry. Stava had felt true disgust only a few times in her life, but at learning of the Chantry and reading of its history, she decided none of her previous experiences even came close to how she felt about the Chantry.

"This," she said jabbing a finger onto the page. "Makes my blood burn hotter than the Dragon Fires. Nax ahrk zaamhus lost niid zin. How has such a religion grown and prosper like it has?!" She all but yelled.

This Chantry had truly struck a chord with Stava, enraging her in a way few could. At first, she was reminded of the Skaal and their All-Maker, being monotheists. But as she read on, the differences stacked up. Negatively. They were bullies and xenophobes that forced anyone who didn't believe in their God to convert. And if the victim refused then a brutal death was almost certain. And that wasn't where it ended either. Culture too was subject to being quashed. Art of any kind that disagreed with their "Chant", burned. Books that taught anything not supported by the chant, burned. People that didn't obey the chant, burned. The single most disturbing thing she had read about was their treatment of Mages and magical folk. Subjecting them to "Circles" and enslaving them; demonized as monsters that had to be chained and hidden like nightmarish animals. Stava had to perform calming spells on herself to keep from completely losing control when the terms "Witch Hunt" and "Exalted March" came up. The Chantry reminded her all to much of the Dominion and their totalitarianism.

Duncan looked at her understandingly. "I admit, the history of the Chantry is not one to boast about. I myself have never been a supporter of them or the things they've done. I have always been against the way they treat mages especially. But it gives people something to believe in. Hope and faith have always gone hand in hand. This doesn't matter though, tis simply the way with such things. I'm sure such things are so in your world as well."

"Ha! Hardly. The Divines make it very clear that they don't interfere nor ask us anything but to follow a road of morality and adhere to their teachings. They certainly wouldn't appreciate the sort of things that your Chantry does." Stava immediatly felt somewhat biased after saying that. Technically the Divines appreciating something like that is regardless, after all, the Dominon was getting away with it.

"I'll tell you this, umm, forgive me but what would be the proper title to address you?"

"Stava or Dragonborn. My other titles are reserved for those who gave them to me." She replied stiffly.

"Thank you. I'll tell you this Stava, if you do plan on fighting the Blight and staying in this world, the Chantry is something you'll have to become accustomed to. Their influence goes far and wide and has more strength than they let on. And I very much doubt they'll like you, so as a word of advice; use caution should you ever find yourself dealing with those under the banner. The Chantry is not one to start a fight with if it can be helped."

Stava smirked at his statement. She had fought entire armies by herself, dredging through piles of the dead. Taking on an organization of megalomaniacal zealots who hate magic would be no different than any other force that thought itself superior to her.

"So," She said, snapping herself from her own thoughts. "You actually believe that I'm from another world?"

"Of course I do." Duncan said firmly and straight to the point without any doubt in his voice.

That of course, was not the answer she was expecting. Stava was shocked by it, she had expected the same level of skepticism everyone else had given her. But looking into his eyes, she could tell that there was no suspicion or doubt.

Duncan's chuckling then grabbed her attention.

"I see that look in your eyes. Yes, I believe you. I've lived a life where it isn't very hard for me to believe such a thing, especially after your display of power the night of the attack. Trust me, you have my belief and support, especially if you mean what you say about joining the fight against the Darkspawn. Which is why I've come to find you. We should talk about your involvement in this." His tone returning to its normal seriousness.

"My involvement? What do you mean?" A level of confusion in her.

"There will be many who are untrusting of you, wondering after who your loyalties lie with, who you fight for. And most importantly, who you are. I don't think it wise to repeat your origin to others outside of the myself and the Couslands. Many will most likely call you a demon."

Stava snorted. "The weak always fear that which they do not understand. I will do what I must to save this world and return to my own. Regardless of whatever the simpletons of this one have to say about me or what I can do."

As Duncan was about to make retort Stava cut him off.

"But I do understand what you mean, I don't need to travel this world with a angry mob chasing me. What do you suggest then, oh mighty commander?" She asked him with snark.

"Well," he said crossing his arms. "The best cover for you would be that you are a Warden Lieutenant from Weischaupt in the Anderfels come to join me in commanding the Grey forces here. I would also advise limiting communication with most people, pretending to know only a little bit of common tongue to help your cover."

The Dragonborn scowled. She didnt like the idea of jumping through so many hoops to just to keep people happy. And going undercover was never her style, she always preferred the head on approach to solving her problems. Burn the forest to flush out the bandits was always her plan, not dressing in sheeps clothing.

"I think perhaps, instead of wasting everyone's time, you take me straight to the source of this Blight. Tell me, where is the Arch-Demon? Where does it roost so that I may vanquish it and go home. I don't want to be here any longer than I absolutely must."

Duncan sighed.

"I do not know where it is. I would ask you please have patience, this is a very delicate situation that needs to be handled correctly. If you want to help end this, then I suggest you follow along with atleast some modicum of my idea." He said gruffly as he stood from his seat.

"You have a power like I have never seen before Stava Ice-Breaker. You could save countless lives with your involvement in this. Aeden and I ride to the south, where the battlefront is; we leave in only a few hours. If you are serious about fighting, then join us on the southern road at the edge of the village. Oh, and the Couslands have decided to gift you with one of their royal thoroughbreds, simply go to their stables." Duncan gave her a short bow with his hands behind him, and promptly left the library.

Stava now sat there, her arms crossed and her brow furrowed in contemplation. On one hand, she despised the idea of having to follow someone else's orders and go against her natural way of dealing with things. On the other, she was all alone in a foreign land; fighting a foreign enemy against which she had no idea how to fight. She bit her lip in frustration, knowing what the obvious course of action was. She was no fool and knew that help would be needed. After all, had she never sought help from others, Alduin would still live and all of Tamriel would live in fear and subjugation. And in her heart she knew, regardless of going home or following a few orders, she had to fight for and save these people. It was her duty. It was why she was born. Why she was given the Thu'um.

"Sworn by honor, I am to keep evil forever at bay." She whispered, echoing her pledge made before to the Greybeards.

So with her sense of duty emboldened she took upon herself to "borrow" a few of the tomes and scrolls of the library; In case she were in the need of them, and set off for her temporary room to prepare for her newest journey.

**TDB**TDB**TDB**TDB**

Stava hummed peacefully, her horse trotting along a dirt path in a mild rain. She wore her armor, knowing all to well the possibility of being attacked whilst traveling. She had made an addition to her attire though, an ankle length cloak colored black with a hood hung from her shoulders. Currently the party of four were somewhere in the Bannorn, a region much like Whiterun that was dominated by grasslands and fields. Unlike Whiterun however it was ruled by a cacophony of Bann's that often bickered with each other over influence and land. Their group had been traveling through the area for three days and judging from one of the maps she took from the library, they were still at the very least two weeks from their destination of Ostagar; an ancient battle fortress that the Ferelden army had taken to hold against the Darkspawn rising. To her side rode Aeden and Duncan both of which were quiet, mostly. Aeden had been complaining about the weather ever since it started, asking her once to make it stop like she had before. To which she had declined, it was unwise to tamper with nature excessively she explained. Even for the Dragonborn, a child of Akatosh, it was dangerous to tamper with the domain of Kynareth. And Stava just knew that regardless of this land being forsaken by the Divine's, that the Goddess would be displeased entirely by her constant changing of the weather. Such as the time when she was hunted by spriggans for weeks on end for damaging the Gildergreen.

"So quit your whining you milk drinker. Last I checked you were not made of dirt, so I doubt the rain will melt you to mud."

Aeden huffed and rolled his eyes. "Fine then oh mighty Demi-God of snarkiness. You've got the maps haven't you? Please tell me we're near a tavern of some sort. I need a warm fire and a cold drink." He sighed, the hound Rex barked agreeably with him.

Stava rolled her eyes and shook her head. She pulled her leather satchel from her side and placed her hand on it, channeling magic. The satchel, which looked like any old tattered bag, was really her most invaluable tool; a gift from Tolfdir, her teacher at the college, 'twas enchanted to be infinite in space and capable of holding any item no matter it's size or weight. Another trick it had was being sealed to any who didn't have the same magika signature of either Tolfdir or herself. Which was handy in keeping pickpockets and sneak thief's out of her most treasured loot and relics. She always reviled in amusement when seeing the shocked expressions of her companions whenever she showed it to them. "It's bigger on the inside!" They'd exclaim, making Stava laugh. Opening the bag and reaching in she pictured what she wanted in her mind and after a moment of digging was able to find it. Even with highly complicated magic, it was still difficult to get the exact thing you were looking for, the one best way of collecting it would be to focus on the on the object; and even then she'd have to rummage about shortly. Unrolling the map of the Bannorn, she traced her gloved finger along the route they were traveling until she found a small house like image, signifying an inn, near their approximate location.

"It seems to be your lucky day milk drinker, there is an inn perhaps a quarter of a league away." She said tucking the map back into her satchel before it became too wet.

"Oh thank the Maker, I don't think I can handle this weather much longer. Say, what's the weather like where you're from? You said it's far to the north, does it just snow all the time instead of rain?" He asked her.

"Yes and no, only in certain areas of Skyrim does it snow constantly; such as Windhelm, our new capital. But most of Skyrim receives rain, especially in the Reach. I love the Reach, for me it's the most beautiful land in all the realm with its rocky slopes and highlands. Great fogs roll through the ravines like a great a white river. And there are spots where you can climb so high you can see the whole of the Reach. I miss it dearly." She said quietly.

"It sounds very majestic." Duncan chimed in from his silence. "Though, I'm sure, there must be some dangers to the place as well. Such wonderful places tend to have a downside to them."

"You could say that." Stava said and closed her eyes. She didnt want to discuss the barbaric Reachmen and the slaughter they cause in the Reach. Even after having personally hunting down their leaders, they still remained in force and caused havoc wherever they could.

"What else can you tell us about this Skyrim, it sounds like a beautiful place." Duncan said in admiration.

Stava considered not speaking, so as to keep her homesickness at bay. But the prospect of speaking about her homeland was too alluring. So she told them about the beauties of the fatherland. The great windmill of Solitude, the frozen tundras of Dawnstar and Winterhold. She spoke of the many fantastic creatures that inhabited the hold, such as Mammoths and giants, trolls and sabercats. She spoke at length about the Dragons one could see flying through the sky's. The two were especially interested and perplexed at her speaking of the hundreds of burial mounds that dotted the landscape. Apparently the burying of the dead in most of Thedas was considered taboo among most of Thedas. Cremation being the prefered form of disposal, making "Demons" unable to posses their bodies. Stava knew what these demons were though. Simply opportunistic Daedra without a leash. It was frightening to know that this world was so unprotected from the realms of Oblivion, she thanked Akatosh for the Dragon Fires, for without them Tamriel truly would be a disastrous place.

Stava was just about to tell them of the Sulfar plains in Eastmarch when Aeden exclaimed excitedly-

"Look! There's the inn, sweet Andraste I've never seen anything more beautiful." Aeden yelled out, Rex barking exceptionally happy.

Indeed there it sat. A two story building with a thatch roof and a chimney with smoke rising to cloudy sky. A small pen of cattle sat to the side and a shack was off behind it. "The Flustered Fennec" the sign read, it amused Stava that naming inn's after animals was a theme here as well. A number of horses were tied off in front and hearty laughter could be heard as they neared. Disembarking their horses and tying them off at a trough for a much needed rest; collecting their gear they headed inside. A bright warm fire burned at the back wall, a bard sat relaxed in the corner plucking a gleeful tune as he drank. Stava made her way to the bar ignoring the sideways glances she was being given. The innkeeper, a short portly middle aged man with stringy brown hair was hunched over laughing with a patron. With a slap of her hand on the bar the keeper rolled his eyes and dragged himself over to the trio.

"Whatcha wan then?" He asked with a heavy Ferelden accent.

"We need two rooms, hot food and cold mead for the rest of the night." Stava said straight to the point, throwing a pouch of a hundred septims on the bar. The clinking of the pouch made the man scrunch his brow as he opened it and suddenly dropped his jaw.

"I-is this, all real gold?" The keeper asked in a whisper of disbelief.

"Well of course fool, what else would I pay you with." She replied exasperatedly.

"Of course milady, you'll be served our fines food an drink." He said as politely as he could as he shuffled off with the gold.

Stava watched him strangely with her eye brow raised. She heard a sigh from Duncan, most likely for having already disregarded her "cover" of not speaking common. Before she could say something however, Aeden chose then to speak.

"How much did you just pay him?" Aeden asked leaning over to her.

"Merely a hundred gold pieces. Just enough to cover everything why?" She asked back.

"A hundred gold?! Why are you just throwing that around? Better yet why do you have that just sitting on your belt? I mean, I'm from a noble family and even I don't carry around that much." Aeden was now flustered and clearly trying to figure out the situation.

"What do you mean? A hundred gold isn't that much, I've been paid that just to carry a letter before." Stava replied not seeing the issue. Back in Skyrim even the poor had stacks of gold stashed away. In fact, besides gemstones and loot, she'd never even seen another form of payment.

"If it makes you feel better I have much much more where that came from. That little pouch won't be making a dent in my wealth. In fact, if you'd prefer I'll just pull a chest full of jewels and baubles from my satchel to pay him with." She said sarcastically. The funny thing was that she actually could do that very thing.

Before Aeden could reply though the inn keeper returned with a large wooden mug the size of a helmet. Stava smiled and took the mug, giving its contents a sniff before slowly turning it bottoms up and draining it in great big gulps; two small streams running down her face from the corners of her mouth. The cold brew was crisp and tasted somewhat of apples. It left her throat and belly tingling, causing her to laugh as she slammed the empty mug on the bar.

"Ahhh." She exclaimed, feeling refreshed. "By Talos' beard this is fantastic! Here, take my things to my room and bring me more!" She said, throwing her belongings onto the short man who was barely able to hold it all as he waddled off upstairs.

"Why don't you two follow him whilst I acquaint myself with the local flavor. 'Tis been too long since I've drank with merry. And I've been much too dour for the past few days."

She walked off then towards a table with several men. Farmers by the look of them. Even homesick and serious as she was, the need for a drink outweighed her melancholy. If there was one thing she learned from all her adventures, it's that even when the world is coming to an end, you should always find the time to get drunk with friends and strangers.

'Oh how proud Sanguine would be of me right now.' She thought with a chuckle.

**TDB**TBD**TDB**

Aeden stood leaning against a beam near the fire. The inn had become quite the raucous place. Of all the parties and gatherings Aeden had ever been to in all his life, the noble had never seen someone who was as wild as Stava. The strange woman had out drank every man by gallons. The number of mugs that piled up at her table had grown to over 20. And she was still going. A mug was to her lips as she arm wrestled one of the burliest fellows he'd ever seen. And she was winning. The bear of a man was purple in the face trying to force her arm down. But with each loud gulp of mead she overpowered him and slowly pushed his all the way down to the table. The crowd around them erupting in boos and cheers, the sound of coins exchanging hands accompanied with more than a few sour faces.

"She's most certainly a rambunctious woman isn't she."

Aeden jumped, gripping his chest from the startling.

"Makers mercy! Please sir Duncan you'll kill me before the Darkspawn ever have a chance." Aeden sighed out.

"Apologies Aeden, and please there's no need for the sir." He said now turning his attention to Stava was now attempting to coax the lute from the bard.

Aeden noticed that Duncan was still wearing his armor. He found it strange the old warden seemed to never remove it. In fact, Aeden noticed that Duncan always seemed on guard, rarely relaxed for even a moment. Even Stava had shed her armor and weapons after getting well liquored. But the one thing that always concerned Aeden was the look in Duncan's eyes whenever he was silent and would drift off. It was a sad look. The kind a man gets when he's seen things more horrible than the average man can imagine. 'Twas the same look that war veterans had whenever they spoke the past. He wasn't one to compare but Aeden could somewhat understand. The night Howe betrayed them had repeated itself in his head constantly, it was the first time he'd ever killed and once the battle had ended; the realization of how many died hit him hard. The most shocking thing however was seeing the aftermath that Stava had left. The carnage went far beyond the roasting at the main gate. The morning after, Aeden had seen first hand the bodies she had left behind. Bodies had been crushed and squashed by some unknown force, many covered or encased fully in ice. There were these four though that had to be removed while covered. Their bodies looked as though they had been drained of everything, leaving behind shriveled husks.

The memory of their sunken eyes and grey skin sent shiver down his spine. Aeden looked at Stava, perplexed that the drunken woman (who was now singing a song about someone named Ragnar) was the person behind such terrible deaths. The men may have been murderers and betrayers, but no one deserved the deaths they'd received. Aeden could feel his brow furrowing while he watched Stava.

"Judge not lest you be judged, Aeden. The window of persecution is often a mirror." Duncan said beside him. His words almost sagely.

"Duncan, you saw everything she did. This woman is dangerous. Like a rogue mage. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but what she is capable of is terrifying." He said without looking away from the woman in question.

"She," Duncan began. "Is no more dangerous than any other individual you meet. The only difference between her and a soldier or Darkspawn is the other worldly power she wields. As the old phrase goes, we often fear that which we don't understand. She will help tremendously in our fight against darkness. You can't judge an individual until you've shared a moment with them." With that he retreated off to a corner with a cushioned chair.

Aeden sighed, there was a rightness to his words that rung true. Whether the woman was dangerous or not didn't really matter. She had saved his family's lives and had joined the fight against the Darkspawn. He was going to have to get used to her. He doubted he'd ever get over the unsettling knowledge of what she is capable of, but he'd give it a try.

"And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no moooore- When his ugly red head rolled around on the floor!" Stava finished out her song, followed by cheers.

"Maker, what kind of song is that?" Aeden said to himself. Rubbing his eyes he left the room as she started singing again, heading towards the room for much needed sleep. If one thing was certain, it was that there were not going to be any dull moments in his life for a long time. Stepping into the room he found Rex curled up on his bed, snoring. Aeden shook his head, smiled, and simply got into bed with the large dog who just shifted slightly to accommodate his master. Relaxed and calmed, Aeden felt himself starting to slip into blissful sleep.

...

That was until panicked yells sounded throughout the inn, jolting Aeden and Rex from their sleep. The latter who's ears were raised and ran off into the main room barking. Aeden grabbed his sword and ran after him, ready for a fight. Entering the room he found the reason for the shouting. The group of patrons that had been partying with Stava now had faces of fear and rage, chairs and small knives held in their hands. Stava herself was knelt next to a screaming man whose skin seemed to be replaced with wood, her hand on his arm trying to calm him. Duncan was between her the patrons with her blades drawn, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed, ready to strike at a moments notice.

"Would you stop your incessant screaming man, I can't concentrate with you sounding like a little girl!" Stava yelled at him.

"You monster! Disgusting mage! Burn the witch!" The crowd chorused in anger.

Joining Duncan, he drew is sword and turned his head.

"What's going on?! What did you do?" He asked Stava, confused beyond belief.

"It was just a simple misfire! I meant to do it on myself as a trick! I can fix it if this imbecile Would. Stop. Squirming!" She responding through gritted teeth. Her hands began glowing in a blue green light as the wood on the mans skin began disappearing.

"Maker have mercy on me! Save me from this wretched thing!" The man screamed, trying to wriggle out of Stava's grasp. Suddenly Stava punched him, rendering him unconscious. The spell, now being unimpeded by the man, was able to remove all the wood and bark from his flesh and made him normal. The crowd however continued hollering and jeering at Stava, who picked the man up and sat him in a chair. They started inching forward, screaming indecent words and filthy names at her. Calling her a demons whore and a monster in human skin. Aeden instinctively tightened the grip on his sword. Rex beside him growling and snarling, baring his teeth at the patrons.

"ENOUGH!" Stava roared. Her voice so loud it caused all in the room the drop their weapons and hold their ears, dust from the banisters above falling down onto their heads. Looking up Aeden saw this flash in her eyes, this look of impending cruelty. An orange light engulfed her hand and as she raised it, so too did the patrons. They dropped their weapons and grabbed at their throats, gasping and squelching as though they were being chocked.

"Stava!" Duncan yelled. She blinked and was thrown out of her rage, realizing what she was doing. She released her magical grasp and the men fell to the floor coughing and wheezing.

"We are leaving! Stay down!" She said, leaving the room with a slight wobble before shortly returning armored and cloaked with her black blade in hand.

"Get up you three. Gather your things and lets be gone from here." She spat disgustedly.

She walked out of the inn, glaring daggers of death at the patrons she had just partied with.

"Gather your things Aeden. Quickly." Duncan told him all too serious, getting up and following after Stava with heavy angry steps.

"Never going to be a dull moment eh boy?." Aeden groaned to Rex, who just whimpered in reply.


	6. Chapter 6

The Dragonborn's Blight Ch. 6

And the Scrolls Have Foretold

Stars, there was always something about stars that filled Stava with an easy going calm. To be bathed in their etheric light was one of the ways she could find herself, to bring her emotions together and be at peace while she sat in the taiko style the greybeards taught her. It was always at night that Stava would meditate on the words of power when she stayed with Paarthurnax and the old greybeards; the mountains cold adding to the clarity she needed so badly. With her eyes closed, she almost felt like she back at the old Dovah's peak; though instead of the whistling winds of the mountains, she was treated to the chirping and rustling of the forest around her. As melodic as it was, Stava yearned for the mountain wolfs midnight howl and the whispers of Skyrim's brittle wind. The Dragonborn's need for meditation was a growing one, for many months she found herself at the edge of her desires blade. Stava always tried to be more like Paarthurnax, to follow his Way of the Voice, to control her base emotions and, overall, act less like a Dragon. But, like many endeavors she took upon herself, she knew she failed in it. The "incident" at the inn being the most recent example and it remained deeply ingrained in her mind. A week and half later the mixed feelings of shame and hate accompanied the scene when replayed in her mind, which was constantly; her meditations being the best way of coping with them.

"Why must the people of this world be so fearful? What happened to make you ignorant of your heritage." Stava said to night around her.

In Tamriel all peoples across the world had magical potential, more so for some rather than others, but even the lowliest of peasants in her world had the ability of magic; if enough focus was brought to bear. The farmers at the inn reminded her of some of the more radical traditionalists in Skyrim, those who had forgotten their history and thought a Nord's only attributes should be might and martial skills. It reminded Stava of the many times she had been mocked and ridiculed growing up on the old streets of Falkreath the adults who were so judgmental of the little girl with magic, making sure their children weren't influenced by such a difference. It seemed, no matter where she went, even to entirely different existences, there were always haters, shunning those with gifts they were not blessed with. An owl began hooting and Stava opened her eyes, there hung the moon before its inky its inky backdrop and the thousands of stars and unknown constellations that Stava had never seen. But, if she squinted, she could almost make out what appeared to be the Serpent; its tricky nature hidden among the plethora of strangers in the night sky.

"The Serpent, even in other dimensions you still hunger after that which you cannot have. I wonder what other connections you have with my home, Thedas. Just how did you come to be? Who made you?" Her question went unanswered, as most of her questions about this land had been. A heavy sigh left her lips, not knowing the truth or full extent of something always bothered her. And the short time she had spent in this world had left her incredibly bothered, the answers she sought she knew she'd be unable to find with conventional knowledge while here; for the civilizations of Thedas were absolute in their unknowing of the planes beyond their own. And the God's that created them. The complete absence of which, had nagged at Stava in the back of her mind, constantly asking what had happened? Did Lorkhan trick others into creating this world before the creation of Nirn? Clearly the inventors didn't stay, as evidenced by the stars that rippled the black ocean above. Stava slouched and held her head in her hand, all the questions and no way of answering them, left her with a headache similar to the one she had experienced when she first met the insane Septimus in the ice fields of Winterhold. His inane ramblings were no more confusing than the situation she had found herself, and Stava who laid back and onto the leafy ground, wished for the simpler times of her life; chasing world ending dragons with a hunger for souls. Stava smiled at herself and chuckled.

"Oh Alduin, I never thought I'd say this, but I sorely miss you." She said, clutching at her sheathed sword which lay beside her. The truly funny thing was that the horrifying monster that had taken hundreds of lives and destroyed dozens of towns across Skyrim; was still with her, in a metaphorical sense. The images of him swallowing people whole and burning buildings to ash amidst ear piercing screams would never leave her memories and dreams. Her sword even, was a testimony of the firstborn's stubbornness to fade from her life, every time she looked at it she could see those crimson eyes; haunting her like tortured ghosts. The thought of her sword had her sitting up and setting it on her lap. Her hand lightly brushing over the ebony and dragon hide that housed the black blade. Stava half smiled at the memory of her and Eorlund slaving for days over the bone and skyforged ebony, the bone coming from Mirmulnir, the first of the Dov to call her Dragonborn. Crossing her legs now, and readjusting her old tunic, Stava pulled at the sword and released it from its prison. A light scraping sound as it is drawn can be heard while Stave held the sword in front of her, the tip pointed upwards. Stava had stared at the sword many times while in Thedas, and only when she was alone with nothing but her thoughts. Many a foe had been felled by the blade that seemed to drink the starlight that poured down onto it, and Stava could almost feel the weight of all those deaths while she held it. Enemies great and small had felt its sting, from common bandits to warlords to truly frightening nightmares like daedroth and dwarven abominations.

But the greatest of them all were the three most terrible dangers. Alduin, who had given the blade its new appearance and lived on symbolically in it. Harkon, who's blood first wetted the sword and, Stava suspected, gave it an almost hungry look about it. And Miraak. Miraak, the first Dragonborn, the only one she struggled to kill. Not because of strength or power, but because she felt a kinship to the man who sold himself to a Daedric Prince. Because of this, the two would not be so different if it weren't for the mans need to rule. Stava carefully ran her fingers down the edge, her sword, her weapon had felled the greatest of the great. Had defended her from death and delivered it back unto those who sought her harm. The item reminded her of something from a children's tale or an old history book, the great tool the hero used to defeat their foes. Thinking this spurred an idea in her.

"You know," She said to the sword with a smile. "A weapon so renown, so legendary, should have a name. Don't you think? What do you want your name to be?" She asked, knowing full well that an answer was unlikely from the inanimate object. Stava's eyes went up and down the blades length, attempting to discern its nature and what should name it. It was dragon in nature, like her, dominating and powerful. It was the catalyst to the deaths of malevolent godlike forces and deserved a name that bespoke its life's design, and was often times the only thing she ever needed. Standing up, Stava held the sword before her proudly, and the words born of her experiences with it flowed from her mind to her tongue.

" _Kah. Ul. Vo_." The words of power found themselves etched into the unbreaking bone. Her words literally hung in the air, silencing the sounds of nature around her, even the trees ceased their swaying at the sound of creation itself. Stava watched almost mystified seeing the words slowly scratch themselves onto the sword in the dragon language. The claw marks glowing with the power of the name she had given it. Stava knew that for forever and all of time the blade would be those words, and it would be hers. She also noticed the silence that had formed when her words were spoken, she realized that this was only time this land had heard the words of power, the words of the gods since its inception. Stava then thought back to the night she defended Highever, how the nature around the castle must of frozen in unknowing at the power of divinity. There were many things to bring to this land, and change would be one of them. With a glance to the sky and looking to the moon, who was in its waxing, she determined that it had to be several hours into the night; just past midnight if she judged its position correctly. Giving _Kahulvo_ , one last long look, she sheathed the sword and made her way back to the nearby campsite of her and her companions.

"Pride, eternity, undo. That's a good, strong name, if I don't say so myself."

Slowly but surely, as she walked back to the camp, the night life of the forest started back up. The crickets played their songs, the leaves danced in the breeze of the wind, and movement of the tiny nighttime creatures could be heard whilst they foraged for their food. Before too long Stava could see the orange glow of a campfire and was soon met by the smell of burning pine and oak, nostalgic memories of travel accompanying it. Closing in on the site, she saw three small personal tents made of cloths and leathers, they're horses laying tethered to a near tree. And sitting by the fire was who she could already tell was Duncan. She groaned and rolled her eyes, he was likely to attempt speaking to her again about the incident. Ever since they had left that hole in the wall inn, Stava had avoided any form of communication about the raw subject with the old man, or Aeden for that matter. Going so far as to hardly even speak in the past several days. She knew she had made a mistake, why talk about when the problem has been acknowledged? People telling her what she did wrong when she already knew it, always caused a spike of irritation in her. It was one of the many reasons she was given the awful assignments when she first joined the Stormcloak forces.

"But, I suppose this will have to happen eventually. *sigh* This is going to be trying." Stava said, just about to enter the small camp, taking a moment to say quietly to herself, _Drem,_ allowing a degree of calm to enter her.

Stepping into the light of the fire at the edge of the camp, Stava saw Duncan sitting on an old fallen log, his swords by his side and his eyes focused deeply on the flickering flames. The hound Rex could be seen laying in front of the sleeping Aeden's tent, the great dog sound asleep and lightly snoring. Stava looked at Duncan, she was too his side and could see on his face a look of melancholy. She saw his eyes glance over towards her without moving his head, they lingered for a moment before returning to the flame. While Stava wanted to simply go to her tent and prepare for sleep, she stepped around the fire sat herself on the ground, just off to the right of the Warden. She opted for crossing her legs and laying _Kahulvo_ across her lap, she couldn't help but look at the warrior, observing him. The man was always wearing his armor, in her time with him Stava had seen him remove only once, and that was to bathe at a stream. She wondered at the kind of battles the man must have fought, the horrors that left that dead look in his eyes and that rigid posture that bespoke of one who was always ready to fight. The man, she could tell, had suffered tragedies in his life, more so than most she suspected. Stava empathized with him. The better part of her life was one big fight to stay alive and keep others alive, to adventure to places unseen for a millennia and battle creatures dark and mysterious.

"You were gone for several hours. Was your walk agreeable?" He asked just then, his eyes remaining glued to their position.

"I, yes. Twas quite agreeable." She said, feeling slightly awkward at being caught staring. Her eyes moved to fire like his, deciding not to continue staring. Silence crept between them, she was unsure of how to proceed, which was strange for her. Most of her conversations were short, sweet and straight to the point with no worry of stepping ones toes. But the current situation was different, she supposed. It was rare that she ever voluntarily wanted to somewhat apologize. Even though she wasn't in the wrong. She could feel her brow lower into a light frown. And her finger started tapping against her will. She hated moments like this.

"Stava," Duncan said just then. "Though I've only known you for a short time now, I've noticed that you are a very easily read person. You wear your heart on your sleeve, as it would be. If what troubles you is what happened last week, do not worry. It is not my mission to badger you with something I'm sure you've already dealt with." His voice like that of an understanding parent. Duncan's fingers were laced together and his chin rested upon them.

Stava, somewhat taken aback, searched for words to say. He'd taken the very words from her mouth like a Riften urchin steals from newcomers.

"I was going," She started, faltering uncharacteristically for a moment. "I was going to say sorry. It's not often I say it, but there it is. I should have adhered to your plan. But then I started drinking, and if you think that was a bad outcome, I should tell you about the time I met this man named Sam. Twas a night to remember I'll tell you what." A tiny chuckle leaving her lips.

"I'm sure it's a grand tale... I said I wouldn't badger you, but I feel should remind you. This isn't your home Stava, all of Thedas lives in fear of what you and so many others are. And with word of the Blight slowly reaching peoples ears, they will hae another thing to ramp up their anxieties. This is why I had asked you to be covert in your identity and activities. But I do understand how hard it can be sometimes to control ones self-whilst under the influence. I must ask you something." He said, turning to her and his grey eyes looking at her with some need for understanding. "Would you have killed those men if I had not intervened? If I had not distracted you from the bloodlust that took you over? For I saw in your eyes, for a fleeting moment, something, inhuman."

A deep breath. Her eyes wandered upwards and saw through a small hole in the forests trees, the stars of the nightly shroud. Her hands put behind her, propping her up whilst she leaned back to better observe.

"Do you know what the stars truly are?" She asked him, knowing he did not know. "They are holes in the fabric of our existence created by the children of Magnus, the architect of creation. They followed his path and left the mortal realm, leaving behind the holes that we call stars. Although, Magnus created the sun with his tear. And these, tears, these holes; they lead on into Aetherius, The Immortal Plane, where all magic and the Divines themselves reside." Stava looked back the fire, she felt a kinship with it, as though they had known each other all their lives.

"I think that's why I've always felt drawn to them. Not because of what they are, but because of where they go. I am Dovahkiin. A dragon in mortal form, the child of a god. The only thing that separates me from other dragons is the fact I've no wings or scales. And sometimes, a lot of times, my true nature takes over. I am, at my very core, a being who is meant to be dominant and all powerful. Showing force over those weaker than myself. And that _Need_ , that _Want_ , it reaches up from deep within you and it tears away the false skin that you wear, revealing itself as the truth. To answer your question, Duncan. Yes. Yes, I would have killed those men, and I would have killed any who attempted to avenge them, and any who would try to avenge those as well. It's just what I'm good at." Stava's voice fell low and quiet, dangerous thoughts pained themselves in her mind. Imagining herself breaking those men and showing them she was their better. Her hands, she noticed, had dug into the dirt where they supported her. Her arms were tense and she felt the scowl on her face. A part of her felt shame at saying so much to one who was practically a stranger, not even some of her closest companions heard the words she spoke to him.

Duncan was silent. His eyes returning to the fire, a long hard stare rebegan, and as Stava glanced over she saw a calculating look upon his visage. She sighed a deep breath, the journey would be an arduous one if her travelling companions were at odds with her. But tonight, she doubted, would the night for total reconciliation. Stava laid back, her head cushioned by a thick clump of grass, and gazed at the stars again. She was beginning to dislike this world, and she hoped that they would reach Ostagar soon. The need for battle was making her antsy and restless. Boredom was the easiest trap for her to fall into, and so she rolled over and crawled over to her tent. Reaching inside she grabbed her satchel, opening the seal, and started her search for a book. She was shoulder deep, not thinking of one specifically, hoping randomicity would provide for her. Eventually her hand grasped one by its spine and she rejoiced with a small grin. Pulling her arm from the satchel however, turned it into a frown.

"The Lusty Argonian Maid." Stava deadpanned. She'd forgotten the damn thing was in there. The lewd play annoyed her to death its incessant innuendos and word play. "Best to get rid of you then." She said to the book before standing up and chunking it into the dark forest. She decided to give up and just go to sleep, her shift for watch would be upon her before…

"Ouff."

Stava froze. She heard someone, her book must have hit them. Her eyes scanned the darkness, trying in vain to pierce the veil. Her eyes squinted and her ears focused on anything coming from the woods. But the sneaks must've froze just as she did, hoping not to give themselves away again. But Stava had different plans.

" _Laas Yah Nir_." She whispered, her vision blackening like a slow blink before brightening back. All around her the auras of the forests wilderness shown around her in dim blue lights. She focused her sight onto where she heard the sound and she saw nine red, human sized lights, glowing brightly in the darkness around them. A roar in her soul sounded throughout her. She Despised sneaks who used the cover of night for such unjustly things. Her jaw tightened in frustration, her fist clenched in anger; the would-be assassin's existence sent a hot stream of rage through Stava's blood. She saw them huddled together closely. ' _Idiots_.' She thought. Being bunched up like they were made them easy targets, and they happened upon her at the wrong time; for a need to kill was gnawing at her. Her need to _Overpower_. Stava felt the pull on her soul lessen by the second, she'd be able to shout again soon. It would be the easiest path to take in the situation. So, she stood there and waited for the moment she could unleash her might upon them. Standing there, the thought of alerting Duncan had crossed her mind; but only momentarily. "Why bother?" She mumbled under her breath. Stava titled her head from side to side, popping the bones and releasing some tension. She stepped away from in front of her tent and faced the clump of the spectral red forms. Stava thought of which shout to best use in the situation. She wanted at least one of them alive to question. Burning them alive would do no good. And the winter that would be issued from her lips would be too great for them to withstand. And then it hit her, something she hadn't used in a long time. Her mind went back to Duncan who, when she turned her head, was staring at her with most dubious of looks. His greyed hair shining in the firelight as he tried discerning her action of staring into the forest. She said nothing at first, bending down to pick up Kahulvo.

She smirked roguishly.

"I'd get behind something if I were you. Divines know what all is going to get tossed around." She said coyly. Her slender face turning back to her targets, whose auras were beginning to fade away. She took several deep, focused breaths. With sword in hand, she released the built-up storm.

" _VEN, GAAR NOS_!" and as if the flood gates of the sky suddenly tore open, a small but great twister was born from her lips and rushed forth. It tore smaller trees up from their roots, and threw many branches and logs here and there before reaching its intended destination. Just as their auras had begun to fade from her vision she saw them attempt to scatter before being lifted by the cyclone. In the darkness she could no longer see them, but their screams were just audible over the swirling screeches of the tornado. It soon after petered out, and all that could be heard was the creaking and snapping of leftover trees. Stava walked casually down the twister's path of chaos, following it to the edge of the campfires light before raising her hand and forging a magical candle light above her with a snap of her finger. She paid no mind to Aeden's panicked yelling from his tent, his oversized dog barking incessantly; or Duncan shouting after her about what she was doing. She just continued her stroll along the destruction, being careful not to step on any broken wood. It pleased her when she found the first mangled body. The man's arms were broken and contorted, and his neck clearly snapped. The rest of him being just as so. Stepping along she found several like the first, bloodied and bashed, with bone poking out through the skin. One of them had a tree branch impaled in his head from back to front, leaving a rather grizzly scene left on his head. Disappointment soon creeped on her when she hadn't found a survivor, she needed one for answers. But then, too her glee, she heard quiet moaning. It was pained and struggled. Following it, sending the magic candle higher into the air to broaden her range of sight, she quickly found a man covered in blood and splinters. Slumped against one of the felled trees.

"Well well well, I had hoped at least one of you would make it." Her voice cocky with a malicious undertone. The man had a rough look about him, one that existed prior to being whipped about by a twister. His hair a dirty blond and face patchy with a lame attempt at growing facial hair. He was outfitted in a light leathery armor, nothing more than pads and straps with the occasional piece of metal.

"Stava! What in the world are you doing?!" Duncan suddenly appeared behind her. His voice angry and confused. "Who are these men? How did you know they were here?" He asked some more.

Stava rolled her eyes, ignoring him, and grabbed the man by the collar. She made her way back to campsite, not struggling at all in dragging the grown unconscious man. He was likely out cold from a concussion and blood loss; she'd have to fix that if she wanted to talk to him any time soon. Stava snapped her finger and candle light was gone, no longer needed in the firelight. Rex was still continuously barking, Aeden kneeling beside him attempting to calm him; Stava barred her teeth and sent the dog a cold icy glare. The Mabari, startled by the sudden fierceness from Stava, stopped barking. Resigning to growls and low grumbles. She turned away before Aeden could give her his own glare; she let go of the wanna be killer close to the fire and made her way to her satchel which was left by her tent.

"Could you please explain what exactly you're on about?! I'm laying here, sleeping nicely, when all of a sudden, BAM! You do your little shouting thing and give me a heart attack!" Aeden's words were tired and shaky, the rude awakening taking its toll.

"Well, if you must know." She said, her arm rifling through her satchel once more. "I discovered those men a stone's throw away from our little camp, or in this case book. Huddled together like the little sneaks they are. So, before they had the chance to do anything, I took them out as easily as possible. You're welcome… Aha, here it is." She exclaimed, pulling from the magic bag a small red flask made of glass. She turned back to him, taking quick strides and crouching beside him. Stava grabbed his jaw and opened his mouth slightly. She pulled the cork, which sealed the flask, with her teeth; and proceeded to pour slowly down his throat. T'was but a minor healing potion, but it would deliver the desired effects. A few of the scratches on his face healed, and his eyes blinked and fluttered, trying to open into consciousness. Not satisfied with how long it was taking, she reared back and delivered a strong slap to his face.

"Oh, damnit. Ugh." The man moaned.

"Wakey wakey, you sneak." Stava said. A vicious tone in her voice.

"What, what happened? Wheres the, the rest? Wheres Rueben and my men?" He asked weakly as he tried to sit up. He was halted by Stava's foot kicking him in the chest, forcing him back down.

"They're dead. Just like you'll be in a moment if you don't tell me who you are and who sent you." Stava was now kneeling, her foot rested on his chest and her eyes staring directly into his. The man, scrunched his face angrily, knowing his men had been killed must have cut deeply. His lips pursed and he returned Stava's stare. Her face was blank when she reared back again and slapped him even harder than before. The clap of skin on skin echoed around them.

Out of the corner of her eye she watched Duncan step up beside her. His walk heavy and angry. She expected Aeden to follow suit, but it seemed he was occupied with calming the horses, which were still in a full-blown panic from her shout.

"Stava! An explanation please." He all but shouted in his gruff voice.

"Can you not see that I'm busy?" She asked him, turning away from her captive. His face bespoke of a deep irritation, and that he was as serious as possible. "Ugh, fine. I discovered this man and his merry band of assassin's hiding out in the forest, just close enough to sneak onto us. Waiting for the perfect moment to come and slice our throats, weren't you?" She said lastly to her prisoner, who was maintaining his silence.

Duncan growled. "And how do you know?"

"What do you mean?" She asked in return, looking back at him confused.

"I mean, how do you know they are assassin's? How do you know for certain that they were indeed meaning to cause us harm?" He asked her, quite pointedly.

Stava's eyes drifted off. She hadn't thought about that. "Alright. I may not know that for certain. But they're all dead now and this ones gonna tell me who they are. Besides Duncan, how many honest men who aren't looking for trouble that hide in shadows when they're spotted? Hmm?" Her sass very present. "Well?" She said now to the man she was kneeled on. "Will you talk of your own volition? Or must I make you?"

"I hope you burn." Was all the man said.

An inhuman smile crept across her lips. Stava's eyes darted to the fire, and without a second thought, reached into the center of the wood pile that burned white hot. Everyone gasped, including Aeden who had turned to see what was going on. The fire tickled her skin has she grabbed a fist sized lump of the burning coals. Being partly dragon had many perks.

"I don't burn so easily Joor. Zu'u los fron voth yol ko dii sos. I would really like to know the answers to my previously stated questions." Her voice now deep and threatening. The coal she held in hand was brought a hairs length away from his left eye. A panic quickly took him over and his breath hastened.

"Oh Maker, please please please calm down. I'll talk, I'll talk. It was Howe, he hired us to track you down. Two hundred gold for the warden and the noble, and a Thousand for you, he said you were one of them apostates an that you were a child killin monster. Please, I'll leave ya alone." He said fast, hoping to spare himself.

Stava kept her smile and looked at Duncan smugly. His arms were crossed and he was clearly not amused.

"A thousand gold!" Aeden half hollered from the horses, who just starting to calm down. "You really must have made an impression Stava. That's enough for any common man to live comfortably for a long time."

"Glad to see the weak acknowledge power. Well then, if that's good enough for everyone," She said standing up off the man. A deep sigh of relief coming from him. "I'll just go ahead and rid ourselves of this nuisance." Kahulvo was quickly unsheathed, and before the man could comprehend what was happening, the blade shoved into his chest, straight through his heart. His death was instant.

Stava gave the dead man a pat on the cheek and pulled her sword from the new corpse. She pulled a piece of cloth from the man's clothing and wiped his blood from his blade. An annoyed grumble from Duncan was heard as he turned away from her and walked over to his tent, entering it and closing the flaps. Aeden, who taken slightly aback from the sudden kill, looked between Duncan's tent and Stava before shrugging his shoulders and making his way back his own tent. Rex had abandoned his post outside the tent and had retreated inside.

"I guess I'll see you in another hour then for my turn at watch." He said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. It had just dawned on Stava that he was shirtless and wearing only pants. She took a moment to observe his cut features and toned body.

"Don't concern yourself with it." Stava said after some moments pause. "I'll take over for the rest of the night. I've some cleaning up to do." She said nodding her head towards the dead man.

"Umm, right." And with that he entered his tent with the mabari still inside.

Stava placed a hand on her hip and looked up to the sky. Shaking her head, she sighed.

"Another failed attempt at not acting like a Dovah. At this rate, I might as well go become a hermit on a nearby mountain." Stava, who continued to scold herself for further alienating her companions, even though she was right about the assassin's; busied herself for the night by gathering all the corpses into a pile, all their pockets emptied and whatever items of value they had she put into her satchel. She planned, when morning came, to set fire to the pile. Would-be killers though they were, she admitted that very few men could resist the allure of gold for another's life. Especially when painted in such a light as she was. Back at the campfire, she sat taiko style once more and spent the rest of the night meditating on the Words. ' _Better'_. She thought, ' _To be doing this than experiencing another nightmare_.'


End file.
